DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas County jury sentenced a Dallas man to 75 years in prison after convicting him of two murders committed just days apart in Dallas and Lancaster, bringing an end to a case that was delayed for years while the defendant underwent court-ordered mental health treatment.
In June 2026, a jury found 25-year-old Diavian Jaquese Roberts guilty of two counts of murder for the fatal shootings of 46-year-old Tenery Lee Walker Jr. and 46-year-old Ronnie Wilson.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jonathan Grant and Doug Millican, with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Joseph Swanson and Paralegal Sherrie Lacy. The Dallas Police Department and Lancaster Police Department jointly investigated the murders.
According to prosecutors, the first killing occurred on Nov. 27, 2022, when Roberts was removed from a Family Dollar store on Ledbetter Drive in Oak Cliff by store employee Tenery Lee Walker Jr.
Four days later, on Dec. 1, Roberts returned to the store and told an employee he wanted to speak with Walker, claiming Walker had offered him a job.
When Walker stepped outside to meet him, Roberts pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot Walker once in the abdomen, killing him.
During the trial, jurors also heard evidence linking Roberts to a second fatal shooting that occurred only two days later.
On Dec. 2, 2022, Roberts stole merchandise from a QuikTrip in the 3300 block of West Pleasant Run Road in Lancaster and was confronted by a store employee.
The following day, Dec. 3, Roberts returned to the same QuikTrip carrying a 9mm handgun in his backpack.
As he approached the entrance, he encountered 46-year-old Ronnie Wilson. Prosecutors said Wilson was not the employee who had confronted Roberts the previous day.
Following a verbal argument that did not become physical, Roberts pulled the handgun from his backpack and shot Wilson three times in the back, killing him.
Approximately 14 hours after the shooting, officers with the DeSoto Police Department arrested Roberts about one-third of a mile from the QuikTrip where Wilson was killed.
Psychiatric Evaluation
The case was delayed after Roberts was found mentally incompetent to stand trial during a February 2023 competency hearing following a psychiatric evaluation.
A judge ordered Roberts committed to North Texas State Hospital in Vernon for mental health treatment and competency restoration.
In August 2024, the court extended his treatment after determining he remained mentally ill and incompetent to stand trial.
Competency Restored
In March 2025, the head of the state hospital notified the court that Roberts' competency had been restored. He was returned to the Dallas County Jail, where he remained until his trial.
Following his conviction on both murder charges, the jury sentenced Roberts to 75 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
The convictions conclude a case that spanned more than three years and involved two separate homicide investigations before being delayed by extensive competency proceedings.
