47 years ago, a Dallas police officer played a game of Russian roulette with an innocent child and murdered him.
Santos Rodriguez. It's a name the City of Dallas should never forget.
Forty-seven years ago, a Dallas police officer played a game of Russian roulette with an innocent child and murdered him.
Nearly 50 years later, neither Santos' mother nor brother has recovered.
"He meant everything to me. He was my son. What they did to him was an injustice," Bessie Rodriguez said.
Bessie hates having to relive what happened to her son. The brutal murder of 12-year-old Santos Rodriguez in 1973, at the hands of a Dallas police Officer Darrell Cain sparked outrage and protests in the streets of downtown Dallas.
Similar cries for justice we are hearing on the same streets nearly 50 years later.
"My boys didn't have a chance," said Bessie.
Not a day goes by that she doesn't think about her son and the way he died.
"He had that gun right there near his temple so he kept telling him if he didn't tell the truth he was gonna shoot him," she said.
In the middle of the night on July 24, 1973, Santos and his brother were taken from their home, handcuffed, and put inside a patrol car.
Two Dallas police officers accused them of stealing $8 from a cigarette machine at a nearby gas station.
While trying to force a confession, Cain pointed his police pistol at Santos' head and pulled the trigger, murdering him.
Cain was found guilty of murder and served only 2 and a half years of his 5-year sentence.
"He just got away with it," said Bessie.
Bessie and her son David, who was 13 years old when he witnessed the brutal murder of his brother, feel like they have been treated more as a nuisance than as loved ones who are still suffering.
Hadi Jawad, Executive Director of the Dallas Peace and Justice Center says both mother and son need help.
"His brother David who was in the police car when Santos was killed is psychologically damaged. He has had no help over these years," said Jawad.
In fact, for decades Dallas didn't even address the family's pain until the mayor publically apologized in 2013.
"It took us 40 years to get an apology from the mayor of Dallas to his mother," said Jawad, who has worked with local leaders for years to try to help Santos' now 75-year-old mother.
Bessie says she and David feel forgotten.
"We just have struggled. He (David) needs help. He needs to see a doctor," she said.
Jawad says the City can only change its future by remembering the sins of its past and present.
"Dallas has got a very dark history and for many years it has been trying to run away from this dark history."
"It's a significant story and Dallas must learn to embrace the story of Santos Rodriguez," he said.
Last year, the community center at Pike Park in Uptown Dallas where Santos used to play was renamed after him.
The City of Dallas plans on unveiling this memorial statue in Pike Park next year along with renovating the building.
Current city leaders are trying to do what's right because it's never too late to right a wrong.
"He was special. While I can, I will still go to the cemetery take him flowers and pray for him. I have gone all these years," Bessie says.
She still visits her son's grave every month. She wants to believe what happened to Santos won't happen again, but she has lived long enough to know otherwise.
"Santos ain't the first and I don't think he'll be the last," she said.
Bessie says before long she'll be gone and doesn't want what happened to Santos to be forgotten.
"I don't want them to forget the injustice."
Cain died last year in Lubbock. Missing in his obituary, was any mention that he was ever a Dallas police officer.
WFAA reached out to his family and spoke with them about this story. They declined to do an on-camera interview.
More on WFAA:
Read the original:
- Football Players That Like to Gamble - The twelfth Man Times - June 21st, 2020 [June 21st, 2020]
- Wakefield taxi driver refuses to return to work after council stops him from putting up partition screen - Yorkshire Live - June 21st, 2020 [June 21st, 2020]
- APPG calls for gambling ad ban and in-play prohibition - iGaming Business - June 21st, 2020 [June 21st, 2020]
- Silver bullets of nitrous oxide found in Lucan and Clondalkin - FM104 - June 21st, 2020 [June 21st, 2020]
- Wearing a Mask to Your Poker Room: What to Expect - PokerTube - June 21st, 2020 [June 21st, 2020]
- Finest Live Dealer Online Roulette Sites to gamble this summer - Tunf.com News - June 21st, 2020 [June 21st, 2020]
- Massachusetts weighs banning poker, craps and roulette - Yogonet International - June 21st, 2020 [June 21st, 2020]
- Top Gaming Industries On the Rise in India in 2020 - Oracle Globe - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Here's who has the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 | Offside - Daily Hive - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Watch: Wild Highlights of the NASCAR Races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Essentially Sports - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Betzest Expands Offerings With Evolution Partnership - Inkedin - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- MGM Springfield gives sneak peek at COVID-19 protections ahead of July 13 reopening - MassLive.com - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Evolution Gaming Strengthening Its Position in Colombia via Extended Business Partnership with Rush Street - GamblersNews - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Ohios gambling sites may have had to reduce occupancy but that wasnt reflected in June revenues - News 5 Cleveland - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Four casino innovations that failed to hit the jackpot - European Gaming Industry News - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Letter: Take a spin at playing the Trump Roulette game - STLtoday.com - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- 'People are willing to play Russian roulette with their familys lives': Doctor slams behavior in US - FOX 2 Detroit - July 7th, 2020 [July 7th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Live Updates: US and World News - Up News Info - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- MGM Springfield prepares for reopening; union expects not all workers will return right away - MassLive.com - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- Roulette Myths - Common Myths About Roulette That Gamblers Believe - BestUSCasinos.org - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- Encore Boston Harbor Opens With Safety Precautions After Coronavirus Shutdown - msnNOW - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- MDH: Don't even think about holding a 'COVID party' to get exposed - Bring Me The News - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- Will the schools open? Behind that unanswerable question lies a national catastrophe - Salon - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- 'People are willing to play Russian roulette with their familys lives': Doctor slams behavior in US - FOX 10 News Phoenix - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- How to Play Roulette and Always Win - TheUSBport - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- Planetwin SKS365 signs with LiveG24 for live games - Yogonet International - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- The Complete Guide to Scout's tips and advice for FPL Gameweek 36+ - Fantasy Football Scout - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- The 'Flight 93' election has ended in disaster - The Week - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- For Teachers and Families This Is Not a Game - LA Progressive - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- Do Not Play Russian Roulette With the Lives of Our Children and Teachers - Common Dreams - July 15th, 2020 [July 15th, 2020]
- What Are the Most Popular Casino Games in Canada? - The Game Haus - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- How Has Hollywood Permeated the Online Casino Industry? - LA Progressive - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- 90 Day Fiance Happily Ever After Recap: Drive Me Crazy Like A Roulette Wheel - Reality Tea - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Teenager was a victim of 'Russian roulette,' which he was playing with four others, authorities say - Winston-Salem Journal - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Derren Brown to celebrate 20 years on TV with live stunt this summer - RadioTimes - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Coronavirus will be the only winner in this 2020 baseball season - San Francisco Chronicle - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Tamar Braxton, 43, Hospitalized After Being Found Unresponsive Thursday Night - Women's Health - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Online casino sites: why these are the UK's best online casinos - Telegraph.co.uk - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- A week into Encore Boston Harbors reopening, the states eastern casino looks to the future - MassLive.com - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Zidane, Ronaldinho, Juninho Five iconic footballers and their signature moves - The Football Faithful - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Live casino: Replicating the land-based experience is no longer enough - Casino Beats - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- What is Pa.s favorite snack food? The answer from this study shouldnt surprise you - pennlive.com - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Massive Growth in Social Casino Games Market Industry Size, Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast 2025| Zynga, Tencent, Scientific Games Corporation,... - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Roanoke schools' digital 'town hall' will address school reopening questions Thursday evening - Roanoke Times - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Memories of 'Russian roulette' for family as lorry and car crashed into home - Burton Mail - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Methamphetamine arrest in Roulette - The Wellsboro Gazette - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Review: The Rental, a thriller starring Dan Stevens, is worth the stay - San Antonio Express-News - July 22nd, 2020 [July 22nd, 2020]
- Letter: The right thing to do - Anchorage Daily News - July 24th, 2020 [July 24th, 2020]
- NJ teachers add updating wills to back-to-school to-do list amid pandemic | Opinion - NorthJersey.com - July 24th, 2020 [July 24th, 2020]
- Teens are 'playing "Russian roulette" with their lives by taking 20 hits of hippy crack a day' - Brinkwire - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Casino Games with the Best Odds - UnderScoopFire - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Teens are playing Russian roulette with their lives by taking 20 hits of hippy crack a day - The Sun - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- How Tech Has Improved the iGaming Market - UKTN - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Preferences of polish people if it comes to gaming - Spiel Times - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- What Manitoba casinos will look like when they reopen - CTV News Winnipeg - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- West Virginia: pandemic closures end Lottery's 17-year streak of topping $1B in annual revenue - Yogonet International - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- ZAP tweaks proposed merger of housing and planning departments - Austin Monitor - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Mobile Roulette And Blackjack, A Successful And Modern Version Of These Fun Online Casino Games - South Florida Reporter - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Everything you should know about Roulette House Edge - Business MattersBusiness Matters - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Rihanna trivia: All you need to know about her favourite food, drinks and more - Republic World - Republic World - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]
- Paul Andersen: As city life wanes, it's 'to the mountains!' - Aspen Times - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]
- Jim Cramer: We Have Now Developed a Truly Roulette Market - TheStreet - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]
- Spintec's innovative roulette on the Riviera - Casino Review - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]
- 32 things that were true of NFL teams a year ago that is no longer true - Turf Show Times - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]
- Letter: Refusing to wear a mask is like playing Russian roulette - STLtoday.com - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]
- Spintec Integrates Live French Roulette Table with Stand-alone Play Stations - European Gaming Industry News - July 27th, 2020 [July 27th, 2020]
- Other Voices: Playing the Pandemic Roulette | General Aviation - Aviation International News - July 29th, 2020 [July 29th, 2020]
- Best 7 Online Casinos for Real Money 2020 - Roulette and Slots - July 30th, 2020 [July 30th, 2020]
- Marvels Agents of SHIELD season 7 episode 10 review: Inhuman roulette - Culturess - August 1st, 2020 [August 1st, 2020]
- BetConstruct strengthens live casino offering with Hi-Lo addition - Casino Beats - August 1st, 2020 [August 1st, 2020]
- DraftKings Casino App in PA Designed with the iGaming Player in Mind - PA Online Casino - August 1st, 2020 [August 1st, 2020]
- Joel Cummins Covers Journey, Wilco & Elton John 'Live From The Living Room' - JamBase - August 1st, 2020 [August 1st, 2020]
- What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus Right Now - The New York Times - August 1st, 2020 [August 1st, 2020]
- 5 things to expect of new online casinos - Business MattersBusiness Matters - August 1st, 2020 [August 1st, 2020]
- Electronic Table Games (ETG) Market 2020; Region Wise Analysis of Top Players i - News by aeresearch - August 4th, 2020 [August 4th, 2020]
- EPA transition back to the office alarms employees | TheHill - The Hill - August 4th, 2020 [August 4th, 2020]
- Signatures submitted for Colorado initiative allowing voters in Central City, Black Hawk, and Cripple Creek to vote to expand gaming types and... - August 4th, 2020 [August 4th, 2020]
- Why internet speed is crucial for good online gaming and how to improve yours - Easier - August 5th, 2020 [August 5th, 2020]
- Indias New Education Policy takes the bullet out of the old, Russian roulette-like system - ThePrint - August 5th, 2020 [August 5th, 2020]
- Can Video Roulette Be Replicated on PlayStation? - Mighty Gadget - August 6th, 2020 [August 6th, 2020]