Two boys who are not yet old enough to drive are now facing the most serious charge in Texas after a deadly shooting on a South Dallas block. Police say two juveniles under the age of 16 have been charged with capital murder in a double homicide that left two teenagers dead in the 3400 block of Michigan Avenue last Wednesday. Family members identified the victims as 18-year-old Ulises Marcos Ledesma and 19-year-old Janelle Elizabeth Bello, who relatives say were dating.
What police say
According to a preliminary post from the Dallas Police Department, officers responded around 9:26 p.m. last Wednesday to reports of gunfire in the 3400 block of Michigan Avenue. Dallas Fire-Rescue provided emergency medical care at the scene, but both victims later died.
Detectives later located and arrested two suspects, boys ages 14 and 15, and transferred them to the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center while the investigation continues. The police post lists a case number and asks anyone with information about the shooting to contact the homicide unit.
Victims identified
Family members identified the victims as Ulises Marcos Ledesma, 18, and Janelle Elizabeth Bello, 19, and relatives of Ledesma told reporters the two were in a relationship. Police have not released the suspects' names because both are under the age of 16.
The charges and the victims' names first surfaced in local TV coverage as detectives worked the case. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reported that the two juveniles were facing capital murder counts tied to the shooting.
How Texas treats juvenile capital cases
Texas law treats capital felonies committed by juveniles differently than those committed by adults. Under the state penal code, when the state does not seek the death penalty, a person who committed a capital felony while younger than 18 faces a mandatory life sentence rather than automatic life without parole. Under state parole rules, inmates serving life for a juvenile capital felony are generally not eligible for release until they have served 40 calendar years.
The statutory framework is laid out in the Texas Penal Code and in the state's parole statutes in the Texas Government Code, which specify sentencing rules for capital felonies and parole eligibility.
What happens next
The two juveniles are currently being held in the county juvenile system at the Henry Wade facility while detectives continue to investigate, according to the Dallas Police Department. Prosecutors could seek a certification hearing under the Texas Family Code section 54.02 to determine whether to transfer one or both teens to adult court. That decision would affect how the case is prosecuted and where any eventual sentence would be served.
For now, investigators are still gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. The police post again notes the case number and the investigator's contact information for anyone willing to come forward.
In context
This Michigan Avenue double killing did not happen in a vacuum. Local reporting and police logs show multiple homicide investigations in Dallas during the first 10 days of July, and city officials have said they are watching a cluster of shootings across several neighborhoods. One early July roundup of cases labeled the Michigan Avenue attack the deadliest incident in that stretch, with several other shootings leaving multiple people dead in the same period.
Anyone with information about the Michigan Avenue shooting is asked to contact Dallas Police or submit tips to Crime Stoppers. This story will be updated as new court filings or official statements are released.
