Houston man Dashadd McNeil pleads guilty to murder, gets 30-year sentence in 2019 shooting
A Houston man was sentenced to 30 years in prison this week after pleading guilty to murder in a deadly 2019 shooting.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced that Dashadd McNeil, 30, pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for a 30-year prison sentence in the death of Juston Allen Walker, 25.
"Gun violence in Houston has reached epidemic levels, and it is because people think it is okay to start shooting when they have a minor disagreement," District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a news release. "We were able to get justice for the family of this promising young man, but there was absolutely no reason he had to lose his life to gun violence."
Dashadd McNeil (left); Juston Allen Walker (right) (Photos: Harris County District Attorneys Office)
Walker was shot at an apartment complex in the 9400 block of Coventry Square Drive around 4 a.m. Oct. 5, 2019. He died at the hospital.
McNeil reportedly knew Walker from the neighborhood. According to the district attorney’s office, McNeil saw Walker and another man hanging out in the parking lot of the complex, followed Walker as he was walking into the complex and shot him in the back several times.
Police initially identified McNeil as a person of interest in the case in November 2019. In March 2020, police announced that after months of trying to locate him, they got a tip and arrested McNeil. He was questioned and charged in the case.
SUGGESTED: Man shot, killed outside influencer party in Houston: police
According to the DA’s office, HPD investigators were able to determine McNeil was responsible for the shooting after speaking to witnesses and reviewing surveillance video.
Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Marshall was preparing to pick a jury in the case when McNeil opted to take a plea, the DA’s office says.
"This was a senseless shooting," Marshall, a chief in the DA’s trial bureau, said. "Our victim had such a beautiful life, and this defendant took it from him."
SUGGESTED: Houston man seen on surveillance video body-slamming woman in February jugging sentenced to 30 years
Marshall noted that members of Walker’s family gave victim impact statements at the sentencing Friday, remembering him as a well-known jokester with a good sense of humor and an engaging personality.
"He was a real character and a very forgiving person," Marshall said. "He always had jokes."