SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office rejected a Converse teenager’s capital murder charge after he was put on the state’s list of most wanted fugitives in March.
The Texas Department of Public Safety named Joseph Joshua Harris, 18, to its list of the state’s 10 most wanted fugitives on March 11. He was facing charges including capital murder and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in connection with a Feb. 23 shooting that killed Hayden Lee Holt, 20.
Harris was on the run for about a month until San Antonio police arrested him on March 27 with an additional charge of evading arrest.
One day later, online court records show the DA’s office rejected Harris’ capital murder charge for “further investigation.”
The DA’s office and Selma police appear to be pointing fingers at each other.
“It appears the DA declined to proceed with the murder charge. You will need to contact them for comments on that,” Selma police told KSAT on Wednesday. “However, there are still additional charges on him, and since that is still open and being investigated, we will not release anything at this time.”
When the DA’s office was asked about Harris’ charge rejection that was decided on March 28, a DA spokesperson confirmed the rejection and sent it back to Selma police.
In response, Selma police told KSAT that it was unaware of the rejected charge decided by the district attorney’s office nearly one month ago.
“We had no idea it was dismissed until you (KSAT) brought it to our attention today,” Selma police told KSAT. “We have nothing else to add as it’s still under investigation.”
Harris remains in custody at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center and is awaiting indictment for two charges: evading arrest and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Three other people arrested in the case are still charged with capital murder.
BACKGROUND
Harris was named in an affidavit obtained by KSAT in connection with a Feb. 23 deadly shooting near a home in the 16000 block of Retama Crown.
Harris told a Selma Police Department detective that he was attempting to buy marijuana, the affidavit stated that he was instead selling a firearm.
The affidavit identified a group of 17-year-olds — Robert Monreal, Dorian Camarillo and Eric Sepeda — as three suspects who planned to rob Harris of his firearm. However, according to the affidavit, Harris and the other three 17-year-olds exchanged dozens of rounds of gunfire.
Hayden Lee Holt, 20, who was in a vehicle with the 17-year-olds and did not appear to be armed, was shot and killed.
According to the affidavit, Monreal, Camarillo, Sepeda and Harris were all charged with capital murder. Harris is the only one of the four suspects to have the capital murder charge rescinded.
KSAT’s previous coverage on this case:
