Saenz was an “informant,” according to the affidavit for Riser’s arrest. The document does not elaborate on what that means. Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Thursday the killings were not related to Riser’s police work.
Three men were previously charged with capital murder in the killing of Saenz: Kevin Kidd, 32; Emmanuel Kilpatrick, 34; and Jermon Simmons, 38.
Kilpatrick is serving life in prison for the killings of a father and son. Kidd and Simmons are jailed on capital murder charges stemming from the killings of Saenz and the father and son. Simmons is also charged in another death.
The man who implicated Riser — who police did not name — told investigators he was involved in burglaries with the officer when they were both young, according to the affidavit.
Shook said Riser knew Kilpatrick in high school, when they worked together at a skating rink, and that they reconnected in 2017 after running into each other at a donut shop.
“He certainly wasn’t involved in committing crimes,” the lawyer said.
An attorney for Kilpatrick did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Shook also took issue with cell phone location data described in the affidavit as corroborating the witnesses’ account that Riser drove him around to point out the people the officer wanted killed. The defense attorney said it would have been normal for Riser to drive through the area where he then lived and work. He questioned how precise the location data was and why it didn’t lead to an arrest in 2019.
