An 18-year-old swim team member drowned at a lake. 2 teens are now charged with evidence tampering – but a family wants more
By Holly Yan, CNN
(CNN) — A young athlete’s death has been mired in mystery since he drowned in a Texas lake three months ago. Now, two teens who were with him have been charged with evidence tampering – fueling anger and speculation about what happened to Daniel Erving.
The 18-year-old drowned in April at Lake Ray Hubbard, about 15 miles east of downtown Dallas. Authorities have now charged two teens – 19-year-old Lucas Roper and a juvenile – with evidence tampering, CNN affiliate WFAA reported.
“As a mother, I knew something was wrong on day one,” Erving’s mother, Tameca Erving, said at a news conference Tuesday.
“I feel like my son only received partial justice. But we’re here to have murder charges brought against those two.”
The latest news in the Erving case evoked fresh memories of another 18-year-old Black man, Nolan Wells, who died while on a Fourth of July trip to Horn Island off the coast of Mississippi.
While no official cause of death has been released and no charges have been made in Wells’ case, his death sparked racial tensions and widespread scrutiny after photos showed Wells surrounded by White friends while on the trip.
In Erving’s case, “Two young white men come to his house to pick him up,” said Ben Crump, who is representing the families of Erving and Wells. “And they go fishing, swimming. And then they come back – but yet, Daniel doesn’t.”
“Something smells off to us,” said Sean Daredia, another Erving family attorney, according to CNN affiliate KTVT. “Daniel Erving was an honor roll student. He was a member of his swim team. He was a strong, healthy young athlete. For these two suspects to say he drowned and they left – it doesn’t add up.”
According to an affidavit, Roper and the other teen suspect are accused of throwing out Erving’s clothes and driving away from the scene, KTVT reported. The affidavit also said Roper admitted to deleting text messages between him and Erving.
CNN has reached out to Dallas police for additional information.
Crump said he wants cases like Erving’s to be “investigated as murder investigations until they prove themselves not to be murderers.”
In the meantime, Daredia said the family is launching an independent investigation.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
CNN’s Alta Spells contributed to this report.
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