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Karla Marbel Rico

Age : 28

Gender : Female

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 09/06/2021

Location : South Garland Avenue and West Miller Road

City : Garland

County : Dallas

State : Texas

Agency : Garland Police Department

Officer(s) :Ryan Kelly; additional officers Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON FOR POLICE CHASE:
Expired vehicle registration. Garland Police Officer Ryan Kelly stopped a black Honda Accord because its registration sticker was expired. While Kelly was checking the driver's information, police said officers observed evidence of narcotics inside the vehicle. Before officers could investigate further, the driver drove away at high speed and Kelly pursued.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 09/06/2021, 28-year-old Karla Marbel Rico was killed when a Honda Accord being pursued by Garland police ran a red light and crashed into her Toyota at West Miller Road and South Garland Avenue. Rico's 10-year-old son Matthew was riding with her and was critically injured. The family's dog, Apollo, was also killed.
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Shortly after 3:30 p.m., Officer Ryan Kelly stopped the Honda near Shiloh Road and Northwest Highway for an expired registration sticker. Three people were inside. During the stop, police reported seeing evidence of narcotics in the vehicle. Kelly was verifying the driver's information when the driver suddenly drove away.
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Kelly pursued in his patrol vehicle, and other Garland officers joined the pursuit. Dash-camera and body-camera recordings later introduced at trial documented the chase. Kelly can be heard reporting that the Honda was exceeding 90 mph, running red lights and crossing into opposing traffic lanes. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office later reported that the Honda averaged approximately 99 mph during the pursuit.
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The Honda traveled approximately three miles north on Garland Avenue. Police initially reported that officers attempting to catch it lost sight of the vehicle. Other officers working an unrelated call near Axe Drive and Garland Avenue then saw it pass at high speed.
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As the Honda approached the red light at West Miller Road and South Garland Avenue, another Garland officer positioned near the intersection saw it approaching at high speed. That officer activated the patrol vehicle's emergency lights and siren in an attempt to warn motorists at the intersection.
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The Honda entered the intersection against the red light and struck Rico's silver Toyota as she traveled west on Miller Road. The impact killed Rico. The Honda then struck a black Honda CR-V that had been stopped at the red light. The CR-V driver suffered cuts and other minor injuries.
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Rico's 10-year-old son Matthew suffered critical injuries and was hospitalized. The family's dog, Apollo, died in the collision. The three people riding in the pursued Honda were also hospitalized.
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No PIT/TVI maneuver, stop sticks or intentional police-vehicle contact immediately preceding the collision was identified in the court record. The later criminal proceedings produced substantial video evidence of the pursuit, including Kelly's body-camera and dashboard-camera recordings and surveillance-camera recordings from businesses along the route.
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Rico was born on 10/01/1992 in the State of Mexico, Mexico. She was married to Florencio and was the mother of Matthew. Her parents were Carlos and Maribel, and she had four sisters, Tania, Lizbeth, Vivian and Fatima. Her family buried her at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Rowlett after a funeral Mass at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.
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The pursued driver was convicted of murder. In September 2022, a Dallas County jury found him guilty after approximately 20 minutes of deliberation and sentenced him to life in prison. The prosecution was the first trial handled by the Dallas County District Attorney's newly created Vehicular Crimes Unit.
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The driver appealed his murder conviction, challenging the admission of several surveillance-camera recordings used at trial. On 02/20/2024, the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals rejected those challenges, modified an unrelated portion of the judgment concerning enhancement findings, and otherwise affirmed the murder conviction. The appellate court emphasized that properly admitted police body-camera and dashboard-camera recordings depicted the pursuit in greater detail than the challenged surveillance recordings.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Garland Police Officer Ryan Kelly initiated the traffic stop and pursued after the driver fled. Kelly's body-camera and dashboard-camera recordings became important evidence in the subsequent murder prosecution. No verified prior fatal shooting, fatal pursuit, excessive-force finding, criminal charge, or significant disciplinary history involving Kelly was identified in the public records reviewed for this reconstruction.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/crime/texas-woman-killed-son-injured-after-chase-suspect-runs-red-light-in-garland-police-say/287-ac07608a-8c9e-4031-aef2-bf5630799d2e
https://www.garlandpolice.com/m/newsflash/home/detail/2286
https://www.garlandtx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10736/P-2021-09-61-Charges-Filed-Against-Man-who-Caused-Fatality-Crash-and-Injury-to-Child
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2021/09/07/man-faces-charges-after-garland-police-say-he-caused-fatal-crash-while-fleeing-officers/
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/mother-killed-son-critically-injured-suspect-red-light-garland-texas/
https://www.univision.com/local/dallas-kuvn/esto-se-sabe-de-la-muerte-de-karla-rico-accidente-bobby-lee-murphy-garland
https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/fifth-court-of-appeals/2024/05-22-00950-cr.html