DALLAS — A Texas appellate court has affirmed the murder conviction and life sentence of Deaundre Bernard Walker, who was found guilty in the 2024 ambush killing of a Forney man outside his home.
In an opinion issued Tuesday, the Fifth Court of Appeals rejected Walker’s attempts to overturn the verdict. Justice Nancy Kennedy, writing for the panel, dismissed claims regarding the sufficiency of the evidence, the reliability of accomplice testimony, and the admissibility of prior bad acts. The ruling effectively upholds the life sentence handed down by a Kaufman County district judge following a November 2025 trial.
A Deadly Ambush
The investigation began on the morning of Feb. 5, 2024. At 5:57 a.m., Forney police responded to reports of gunfire, discovering Gabriel Diosdado deceased in the driveway of his residence.
Surveillance footage provided a chilling account of the crime: as Diosdado exited his home to head to his work van, a figure dressed in dark clothing, a ski mask, and distinctive bright red gloves emerged from the shadows. The gunman ordered Diosdado to return inside before opening fire. After the victim collapsed, the shooter fired again before fleeing across an open field toward the Eastgate Village apartment complex.
Detectives quickly identified the suspects as Diosdado’s estranged wife, Mayra Lara, and her boyfriend of three weeks, Deaundre Walker. Lara, who also faced capital murder charges, testified that she orchestrated the plot due to suspicions of infidelity and an awareness that the victim, a carpenter, kept approximately $30,000 in cash hidden at his home.
The Forensic Trail
Investigators built a compelling case against Walker through a combination of forensic ballistics and digital evidence:
Ballistics Matches: The night prior to the murder, police responded to a shots-fired call at Eastside Park, where they observed Lara and Walker near her vehicle. Following her arrest, Lara directed officers to the location where Walker had test-fired his weapon. Ballistics testing confirmed that the shell casings recovered from the park matched those found at the crime scene.
Digital Evidence: Security footage from Walker’s home showed him departing at 4:04 a.m. and returning at 6:16 a.m.—shortly after the shooting—having discarded a coat he was seen wearing earlier. Additionally, investigators recovered a social media photo of Walker posted a month prior, in which he was wearing the same bright red gloves captured in the surveillance video.
Search Warrant: A search of Walker’s property uncovered a black mask and ammunition matching the specific brand found at the park.
The Appeal
Walker’s defense team argued on appeal that the evidence was insufficient for conviction, citing a lack of direct physical evidence and challenging the corroboration of Lara’s testimony. They further contended that evidence regarding a previous break-in of the victim’s van should have been excluded.
The Fifth Court of Appeals rejected these arguments. Justice Kennedy noted that under Texas law, accomplice testimony requires only evidence that "tends to connect" the defendant to the crime. The court held that the combination of Walker’s own admissions, the ballistics evidence, and the digital trail provided sufficient corroboration.
"Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, we conclude... a rational juror could have found the essential elements of murder beyond a reasonable doubt," Justice Kennedy wrote. The court further affirmed the inclusion of the prior break-in evidence, noting it was relevant to establishing motive and the gunman’s intent.
While Walker was originally indicted for capital murder, the jury convicted him of the lesser offense of murder.
