Travis County District Attorney’s Office Files Motions to Dismiss Cases of Intentional or Knowing Unauthorized Discharge

Travis County, TX — Today, Friday, April 17, 2026, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office filed motions to dismiss the cases of Intentional or Knowing Unauthorized Discharge against Fred John Riess, 61, and Rafael Cantu Baez-Riess, 51, due to insufficient evidence.

The Travis County District Attorney’s Office must be able to prove all elements of a charge beyond a reasonable doubt. There were numerous issues in these cases, including multiple suspects, evidence storage issues, and timing of the incident, that prevented TCDA from ethically moving forward. We have made the difficult decision to dismiss the cases.

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