A Dallas family is breathing a little easier today after a killer loses his last appeal. Without comment, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals refused to hear the case of Joseph Buckaloo, 46.
With a single shot, Buckaloo destroyed two lives and forever upended lives. The shooting happened along Western Park drive in Oak Cliff May 29, 1992.
In a road rage attack, Buckaloo fired a shot that fatally wounded Juan Lopez, 19, then went into the brain of his nephew who was also in the car. Pepe Villegas, who was 11 at the time, has been in a vegetative state ever since, requiring full time care.
The case went unsolved until three years ago when a cold case unit uncovered new evidence. At the time, Buckaloo was serving three 99-year prison terms for shooting into the home of his estranged wife.
He pleaded guilty to a murder charge in exchange for a 30-year prison term. However, due to the statute of limitations, prosecutors were unable to charge him in Villegas’s case.
“When this all happened I was really upset about it. I was very angry because it obviously altered all of our lives. But in the end God is in control and he’s where he needs to be.” said Daisey LaBudda, sister of Villegas.
The family had a chance to confront Buckaloo during a hearing in 2018. The diminutive stature of a man who caused their family so much pain was not lost on Veronica Garcia, another sister.
“I’m not a tall person but when I saw him that was the first thing I said ‘Oh my goodness. This short person caused all this harm. I mean really? You?’”
Villages remains in a vegetative state, Garcia said, with her mother having to care for him around the clock.