Jurors in El Paso settled into the box Tuesday, July 7, as the long-delayed trial opened in the 2021 McDonald’s parking-lot killing on the city’s west side near the University of Texas at El Paso. Robron Lewis is accused of capital murder in the shooting of 22-year-old Jacal Jacob Allen, a case that authorities say started as a drug deal and ended in gunfire.
According to KVIA, the shooting happened Oct. 28, 2021, in the McDonald’s parking lot on Mesa Street. Police say Lewis and alleged co-defendant Tranquil Card, then 24, had arranged to buy marijuana from Allen when the deal turned violent. One of the suspects allegedly fired multiple rounds, killing Allen and making off with roughly 10 pounds of marijuana, according to an affidavit.
Documents show an off-duty officer followed the pair from the scene to the UTEP campus, where officers later found them hiding inside a university auditorium. The search briefly prompted shelter-in-place orders for campus housing, KVIA reported.
UTEP President Heather Wilson told KVIA that the university's notification to students "was not fast enough" and said officials are reviewing their response to the incident. Court records show a judge denied bond for Card and set Lewis's bond at $2 million. Jury selection continued on Tuesday as attorneys worked to seat a panel that will hear witnesses and evidence.
How Investigators Say the Slaying Unfolded
Prosecutors say the defendants and Allen met at the McDonald’s on Mesa Street for what was supposed to be a marijuana sale. An argument followed, then the shooting, with multiple rounds fired and Allen fatally wounded, according to police and court records. An off-duty officer reported tailing the suspects to campus, where officers ultimately found them hiding in an auditorium.
What Capital Murder Means in Texas
Lewis is charged with capital murder, the most serious homicide offense under Texas law. If prosecutors pursue the death penalty and he is convicted, the charge can carry either a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The elements and penalties for capital murder are detailed in the Texas Penal Code; see Texas Penal Code §19.03 for the statute text.
Jury selection is underway, and the court is expected to set a schedule for testimony in the coming days. Both defendants remain in custody as the case moves forward in El Paso County.
