Dallas Police have apprehended a 19-year-old in connection with the drowning of a teenager at Lake Ray Hubbard that occurred in April. Lucas Roper, who was taken into custody on July 9, now faces charges of tampering with physical evidence.
The incident pertains to the tragic drowning of 18-year-old Daniel Erving, whose body was recovered on April 17, four days after he drowned during a fishing and swimming outing. An arrest affidavit reveals that Roper discarded Erving’s clothing and cell phone shortly after the incident, as well as deleted all digital correspondence with the victim prior to his arrest.
According to the affidavit, Roper admitted to police that he erased all communications with Erving because he anticipated an investigation and wanted to avoid facing legal consequences. The affidavit details that both Roper and a juvenile accomplice disposed of Erving’s clothes near a bridge by the lake, and while fleeing the scene in Roper’s vehicle, the juvenile discarded Erving’s phone.
The Rowlett Police Department later recovered the discarded items, which contained evidence of calls and messages exchanged between Roper and Erving on the day of the drowning. Roper indicated that the trio had jumped into the lake from a bridge when Erving tragically drowned, after which he panicked and deleted their communications.
Further investigation revealed that the juvenile suspect corroborated Roper’s account, stating that Roper instructed him to throw the phone out of the vehicle as they fled the area. The current status of the juvenile suspect remains unclear.
