Overview
- Police arrested 19-year-old Lucas Roper and a 16-year-old juvenile and charged both with tampering with physical evidence after an affidavit said they discarded Erving’s clothes and phone.
- The affidavit says Roper admitted deleting all cell phone communications with Erving and the juvenile led officers to locations where some belongings were recovered.
- The Dallas County medical examiner ruled the April death an accidental drowning and wrote there were currently no suspicions of foul play but that the finding could change if new information emerges.
- Erving’s mother and the family’s lawyers say the evidence described in the affidavit undercuts the accidental ruling and they are pressing prosecutors for murder charges and a grand jury review.
- Prosecutors have not yet received the full police file and have not announced additional charges, leaving further investigative work and charging decisions as the next possible steps.