Drowned teen's family demands murder charges following arrest for Lake Ray Hubbard cover-up

DALLAS - The family of an 18-year-old who drowned in Lake Ray Hubbard spoke publicly Monday morning, calling for murder charges following the arrest of a teenager accused of orchestrating a months-long cover-up of the death.

The news conference, held at 11 a.m. at the Next Generation Action Network Headquarters on S. Good Latimer Expressway, came just days after Dallas police arrested 19-year-old Lucas Roper on July 9. Roper remains booked in the Dallas County Jail on a charge of tampering with physical evidence.

Daniel Erving's family, joined by legal counsel and community advocates, expressed deep agonizing grief and a total loss of confidence in the initial police response, demanding that authorities look past the tampering charges.

"A reasonable-minded person would know if you are not guilty of a crime, why would you throw away his clothes and delete messages and not even call his mother?" said Tamiko Erving, Daniel's mother. "I want justice for my son."

Lake Ray Hubbard drowning arrest

The backstory:

According to court documents, the investigation stems from an April 13 incident when Erving, Roper, and a 16-year-old juvenile, went fishing and swimming at the lake before jumping from a bridge into the water. Investigators say Erving, an honor roll student and member of his high school swim team, drowned shortly after jumping. His body was recovered by emergency teams four days later.

Rather than calling for help, police say Roper launched an extensive effort to hide the tragedy because he panicked and did not want to get into trouble.

According to an arrest affidavit, Roper admitted to investigators that he and the juvenile threw Erving’s clothes into nearby brush. Roper also allegedly deleted the call logs and text messages from Erving’s cell phone, ordered the juvenile to toss the device out of a moving vehicle's window, and fled the area.

"Those two suspects let Daniel Erving... sit on the bottom of Lake Ray Hubbard for four days," said attorney Sean Dorado, who has been retained by the family to conduct an independent investigation. "They went to school. They lived their lives... If it’s an accident, why hide the clothes? Why flee the scene? Why toss Daniel Erving's cell phone off the car?"

Family Demands Murder Charges

Speakers at the briefing lambasted law enforcement for what they described as a three-month delay in making arrests despite having interviewed the suspects within days of Erving's disappearance. Because Erving was a skilled, healthy swimmer who was comfortable in the water, the family's legal team insists the narrative of an accidental drowning does not add up.

"We won't accept tampering charges," Dorado said, urging the Dallas County District Attorney's Office to take the case to a grand jury for homicide charges. "Take this case. Take the facts. Take the evidence to a grand jury and bring the appropriate charges."

Erving's sister noted that her brother had been preparing to join the military to serve and protect his country. "For something like this to happen to him and for it to be no sense of urgency is absolutely ridiculous," she said. "Right is right and wrong is wrong. And when it’s a life or death situation, you are to render aid."

The Dallas Police Department currently maintains control of the investigation after jurisdictional crossover with the Rowlett Police Department during the initial days of the search. The family has stated they will not cease their public campaign until everyone involved, including potential accessories after the fact, is held fully accountable.

DallasCrime and Public Safety