New Dallas County district attorney could alter Texas 7 retrial

DALLAS - The election of a new Dallas County district attorney could mean changes in the upcoming retrial for a member of the infamous Texas 7.

What we know:

Randy Halprin was given a new date of April 5, 2027, in Dallas County for his new trial in the Texas 7 murder case. Judge Lela Lawrence Mays decided Friday that the new trial's date would continue as planned.

However, by that time, Amber Givens will have replaced John Creuzot as the Dallas County District Attorney.

Mays raised questions during Halprin's court appearance on Friday about whether the change in leadership will affect the outcome and date of that new trial.

"…possibly moving the trial setting up, where we would try the case before the end of the year. That's one option," Judge Mays said on Friday. "Next option is to continue to work like you all have been working, and just kind of see where we stand."

"But one thing I think we probably cannot do is to select a jury in November when I'm not sure what we're going to do D.A. wise. It'll make a difference as it relates to the death penalty, and it may make a difference to how this case proceeds," Judge Mays continued.

Both Halprin's attorney and the state agreed not to move the trial up to this year.

"I don't anticipate wanting to accelerate. I mean, we want to take our time. Mr. Halprin's life is at stake," Halprin's attorney said. "We want to do everything and take as much time as the court gives us to properly prepare his defense."

Who is Amber Givens?

Dig deeper:

Givens has been a judge in Dallas County since 2015. She stepped down from the bench last year to run for district attorney.

She has been criticized by some and praised by others for her style on the bench.

In 2025, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct voted to issue a public reprimand over allegations of a clerk pretending to be her during a court hearing.

Givens disputes the allegations and appealed. That hearing was held in Austin in February. The final disposition has not been announced, but any disposition would not impact her ability to be the district attorney.

After winning the district attorney race, Givens said she will work hard to bring justice to everyone in Dallas County. 

"My commitment is simple. I will fight every day for the people of Dallas County – for the victims who deserve answers, for those accused who deserve the fair and equal application of the law, for communities that deserve safety, for families that deserve stability, and for a justice system that belongs to everyone," she said.

Who are Randy Halprin and the Texas 7?

The backstory:

Halprin, who is now 48, was one of seven inmates who became known as the "Texas 7."

In December of 2000, they escaped from a South Texas prison and then committed several robberies, including one at an Irving sporting goods store where they shot and killed 29-year-old Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins.

Halprin is one of only two members of the "Texas 7" still alive.

Larry Harper killed himself before the group was arrested. Four others – Joseph Garcia, Donald Newbury, Michael Rodriguez, and George Rivas – have been executed. Patrick Murphy is still awaiting execution.

Appeals court orders new trial 

What we know:

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals halted Halprin’s execution in 2019. 

In 2024, the court overturned the conviction and ordered that Halprin be given a new trial.

New evidence supported the argument that Judge Vickers Cunningham, who presided over Halprin's original trial, held a strong bias against the defendant because he is Jewish.

"The uncontradicted evidence supports a finding that Cunningham formed an opinion about Halprin that derived from an extrajudicial factor — Cunningham’s poisonous antisemitism," the appeals court wrote in its ruling. 

Cunningham is now retired from the bench and works as an attorney in a private practice.

He has not commented on Halprin’s case.

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