Police ID motive in McKinney slayings
They say homeowner was target of robbery that went awry
09:43 PM CDT on Thursday, April 8, 2004
McKINNEY – Almost a month after four fatal shootings shocked this city, police said Thursday that evidence shows that Rosa Barbosa was the target of a robbery that went bad.
"It appears that Rosa was the intended target – or something in her house – based mostly on positioning and time spent with [her]," said Chief Doug Kowalski. "The other victims appeared to have been hurriedly shot while the suspects were probably trying to escape."
Police were called to the 100 block of Truett Street about 9:30 p.m. on March 12 by Robert Barbosa, who found his aunt Ms. Barbosa, 46; his brother, Mark Barbosa, 25; and 18-year-old Austin York dead from gunshot wounds.
A fourth victim, 17-year-old Matthew Self, died later that night after being rushed to a Dallas hospital.
Chief Kowalski said that his investigators have "several names" of possible suspects in the killings but that none of those people have been taken into custody or eliminated in the case.
The chief also said blood, fingerprints, hair and fibers were collected from Matthew Self's pickup – which had been taken from the house and was recovered four days later in North Dallas – and the evidence is being analyzed by a Department of Public Safety crime lab.
That evidence will be matched against suspects.
"I feel like we're a lot closer" to solving the case, Chief Kowalski said. "As a matter of fact, I believe the noose is slowly tightening around the individuals involved in this offense.
"We're probably just one phone call away from solving this case," he said.
Chief Kowalski also offered to cut a deal with any accomplices who may have been involved in the robbery but didn't count on becoming embroiled in a quadruple slaying.
"The people we're interested in are the trigger people," Chief Kowalski said. "If they [accomplices] will come forward at this time, we can assure them that they will not be charged with capital murder. If they wait, however, until we solve this case and bring them in, they will be charged as a principal in capital murder," he said.
Based on the positioning of victims in the house and evidence collected there, police released a timeline of events that narrowed down the window of when the shootings occurred to within an hour.
The strongest theory on why the shootings happened is connected to Ms. Barbosa's job at Cliff's Check Cashing on University Drive and a burglar alarm there about 40 minutes before the shootings were reported, the chief said.
Investigators have said they believe that at least two people were involved in the shootings.
A list of items found in the small two-bedroom house shared by Ms. Barbosa and two nephews, Mark and Robert Barbosa, showed that at least seven shots were fired in the house that night. Investigators picked up six .25-caliber shell casings, but Chief Kowalski has also said a second weapon was used on the victims.
A description given by the police officer who answered Robert's 911 call from the house that night revealed that Ms. Barbosa's body was found in a back bedroom, blindfolded with tape. She had a plastic strap cinched around her neck, and she had been shot at least once in the head.
The three other victims were found in a front bedroom. Austin and Mark's bodies were slumped over a bed, and Matthew was lying on the floor nearby.
In a statement released Thursday, police said: "From all indications, these victims were innocently enjoying a Friday evening when they were savagely attacked in a calculated, cold-blooded and cowardly fashion."
Chief Kowalski said his department has received hundreds of phone calls and more than 150 leads that have led investigators from Austin to southern Oklahoma, from Fort Worth to Shreveport, La.
As of Thursday, local businesses have pledged $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the shootings.
Leslie Mendez, Mark Barbosa's aunt, said the family is hoping for a break in the case soon.
"Every step, every little step is a good thing," Ms. Mendez said. "That's all we want, some kind of justice."
Staff writer Jennifer Emily contributed to this report.
Police and witnesses have pieced together the following timeline for what occurred on March 12 that led to a quadruple slaying in McKinney:
7 p.m.: Barbosa family members who live in a separate house in McKinney say Mark Barbosa, Austin York and Matthew Self briefly stopped by their home.
7:30 p.m.: Rosa Barbosa calls a friend and arranges to go for a walk around Towne Lake at 8:30 p.m.
About 8:15 p.m.: Matthew, Austin and Mark are last seen alive at a CiCi's Pizza on North Central Expressway in McKinney and are believed to have left there to drop off Mark at 105 Truett St., where he lived with his aunt Rosa Barbosa and brother, Robert Barbosa.
8:30 p.m.: Ms. Barbosa's friend arrives at the Truett Street home for the walk and finds the house dark; no one answers the door.
8:50 p.m.: A burglar alarm sounds at Cliff's Check Cashing, where Ms. Barbosa works. Police find no signs of a break-in or missing property; surveillance cameras were turned off when the business closed earlier that day.
9:20 p.m.: Police and a worker from Cliff's Check Cashing clear the burglar alarm.
9:30 p.m.: Shortly after discovering the four victims, Robert Barbosa calls the police.
SOURCE: McKinney police; interviews
Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/040904dnmetmckinney.2e652.html
