Taco Casa employee in Fort Worth charged with capital murder of coworker
Taco Casa employee charged with murder of coworker
A Fort Worth man with an intellectual disability was allegedly murdered by a coworker who confessed to the crime after the victim disappeared following his shift at a local Taco Casa.
FORT WORTH, Texas - A missing persons case in Fort Worth turned into a murder investigation after police discovered the victim’s body.
The family of the victim tells FOX 4 that he stuck to himself because of his disability, and only worked and took care of his family. His murder came as something they never expected.
Thomas King missing person case
What we know:
On April 13, Thomas King went to work at Taco Casa on Bridgewood Dr in Fort Worth, but he didn’t return.
Thomas King
"Then he told me, love say he loved me. And then he said he was coming back," said the victim's partner, Jolisa Richardson. "Doesn’t make any sense, because every time he goes to work, he comes right back."
King was last seen there in his work uniform at 10:30 pm.
Coworker arrested
Gregory Lewis
What they're saying:
After King’s family says he left work and never made it home, the next day, Fort Worth police say his car was found at a motel in Arlington.
Surveillance video showed someone else driving the vehicle to the location after King got off work.
By Thursday, homicide detectives had taken over and identified King’s coworker, 34-year-old Gregory Lewis, as the man seen showing up at the motel in King’s car. Lewis was arrested on unrelated charges.
The next day, King was found dead in a field in East Fort Worth.
Taco Casa in Fort Worth
Local perspective:
Fort Worth police say Lewis admitted it all.
"We were able to interview this individual, and the individual did claim and confess to actually murdering our missing person and leaving his vehicle," said Fort Worth police officer Buddy Calzada.
King’s family says he had an intellectual disability and speech impediment, and was bullied at work, including by Lewis. Police believe some sort of confrontation had happened between the two as they continue to investigate.
"But if he would have told me, like, straight up everything or then when it happened, I wouldn't even let him come here, you know, I would have found the way," said King’s father-in-law, Michael Burks.
Now his family is coming to hold each other up as they grieve.
Thomas King leaves behind his high school sweetheart and two sons.
"They asked me last night, Where's my daddy? And I said he is in heaven. I know they're having a hard time. I don't think they understand what's happening," said Richardson.
Family seeks answers in Thomas King death
Mary Joe
What's next:
The family continues to demand answers about how he was treated at work.
"Just devastated, because he didn't deserve this. No one deserves this," said the victim's sister Mary Joe.
Lewis is facing a capital murder charge.
FOX 4 has reached out to Taco Casa for comment, but has not heard back.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Vania Castillo and the Fort Worth Police Department.