Two charged with murder in shooting

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

A Lockhart father and son are behind bars this week, facing murder charges in connection with a weekend shooting that left a Lytton Springs man dead on Saturday.
According to Caldwell County District Attorney Trey Hicks, Jesse Manuel Davila, 49, and his son Dwayne Jesse Davila, 27, have been charged with First Degree Mur

der and are being held in the Caldwell County Jail on $250,000 bail each.
The Davilas were arrested on Saturday afternoon after what police call an “ongoing dispute between families” led to the shooting of John Edward “Eddie” DeLeon, 24.
Witnesses claim that a bottle may have been thrown at the Davilas” vehicle on Saturday afternoon, sparking the incident that led to the shooting. According to Hicks, prior to the shooting, the Davilas left their home in a car, hoping to obtain the address of a member of DeLeon”s family a few blocks away. A female witness at the Davila home declined to call the police about the bottle incident, Hicks said.
It is unclear how the situation escalated to violence. However, according to witness accounts, DeLeon was shot in the chest in front of a cousin”s Brazos Street home, with several members of his family, including his wife and children, nearby enjoying a family barbecue.
DeLeon was transported to Seton – Edgar B. Davis Hospital in Luling, where he was pronounced dead on Saturday evening.
The Davilas were identified by witnesses to be the suspects, prompting the Lockhart Police to arrest the men at their home a short time later.
According to Hicks, a search warrant was issued on Sunday morning for the Davila home and vehicle. A .410 shotgun was retrieved in the search, which has been sent to the DPS crime lab for comparison to pellets retrieved during the autopsy.
A charge of First Degree Murder carries a sentence of five – 99 years or life in prison. However, if found guilty, the Davilas will not be candidates for the death penalty, Hicks said.
Services for DeLeon, a father of three, will be held on Thursday and Friday.
According to the Lockhart Police Department, the last murder in Lockhart occurred in 1998.