LUBBOCK, Texas — The sentencing for Hollis Daniels continued on Tuesday, with former friends and roommates taking the stand to recall moments that led up to the shooting.
Daniels was charged with capital murder and has pleaded guilty after shooting and killing a Texas Tech police officer back in 2017, the state seeking the death penalty.
Testimonies from his former group of friends remembering Daniels as aggressive, violent, and forgetful. They said Daniels would try and start fights, all while under the influence of Xanax.
One former friend took the stand, avoiding looking in Daniels’s direction as he recalled the moment, he realized his gun was stolen. He asked Daniels to return the gun, and upon returning he got into an altercation with Daniels.
His former friend said Daniels denied having the gun and threatened to kill his friend and himself if he did have the gun, he said at one point Daniels lifted his shirt and saw him reach for what he thought was a weapon, so he punched Daniels out of fear and self-defense. Daniels left, his friends called the police, reported the missing gun and barricade themselves in the home.
Another friend of Daniels testified that they had reached out to his mom through Facebook asking for help after he stole the gun. His mom stated that she had no idea this was happening and thought Daniels was getting better. His mom then reported the information to Texas Tech’s crisis hotline, but when tech followed up, Daniels would deny having the stolen gun and deny his suicidal tendencies.
Moments after authorities were called, Lubbock Police Officer Clint Duckworth would pull Daniels over after his vehicle matched the description. Body camera footage was played to the courtroom, showing Daniels denying the altercation and denying the stolen gun.
Officers then asked to search his car in which Daniels refused and said it was unnecessary as he was just going home, so Officer Duckworth let Daniels go home.
His roommates later told the Jury they heard the gun go off in the dorm that night and saw it in his room the next day.
The sentencing phase of the trial was set to resume Wednesday morning.
