A Dallas County judge yesterday handed 38-year-old Oved Bernardo Mendoza Argueta a life sentence for a June 2024 shooting that killed two Chick-fil-A employees in Irving, turning an ordinary workday into a tragedy that stunned Las Colinas. Prosecutors also secured two additional 20-year prison terms on aggravated assault charges tied to the same attack. The plea and punishment close out a case that shook the neighborhood last summer.
DA: 'No sentence can restore what was taken'
Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot announced the punishment on Feb. 12, saying the outcome would hold the defendant to account. As reported by FOX 4, the DA's office wrote, "No sentence can restore what was taken from these families. But the resolution of this case ensures accountability and affirms that acts of violence like this will be met with serious consequences." The same announcement stated that Mendoza Argueta had pleaded guilty to one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
How Investigators Say The Attack Unfolded
Investigators say Mendoza Argueta walked into the Chick-fil-A in the 5300 block of North MacArthur Boulevard on June 26, 2024, and opened fire, killing two team members and wounding another. The victims were later identified as 49-year-old Patricia Portillo and 31-year-old Brayan Alexis Godoy, according to reporting by The Dallas Morning News. Police documents said the suspect's wife worked at the restaurant and witnessed the shooting, which investigators described as targeted rather than random.
Pleas And Penalties
Mendoza Argueta, who is 38, pleaded guilty to the murder charge and the aggravated assault counts, clearing the way for sentencing without a trial. The court imposed a life sentence on the murder conviction, plus two 20-year prison terms for the assaults. As FOX 4 noted, the DA's office handled the case and announced the sentencing on Thursday. Prosecutors said the terms reflect the seriousness of an attack that ended two lives and injured another co-worker.
After The Shooting
The Chick-fil-A owner-operator stated the June shooting, saying, "Our hearts are broken by the tragedy that unfolded inside our restaurant," per CBS News Texas. In the days that followed, community members left flowers at the location, and a GoFundMe was set up for Portillo's funeral, reporting showed. Families of the victims and coworkers have continued to mourn as the legal case reached its conclusion in February.
