[TX] Help family of slain Houston Police Sgt. Linda Riojas Barrera keep her [cop, ex-boyfriend] killer in prison

...Houston Police Sgt. Linda Riojas Barrera, a 22-year veteran (SWAT, Hostage Negotiator & Recruitment Specialist) was shot multiple times in the back while attempting to flee her killer, [Houston Police Officer] Roger W. Bewley, after she requested he move out of her house...

PAROLE STATUS
Bewely, Roger William
Parole Denied
Next Review June 2011
[Texans for Equal Justice LINK]

PROTEST AGAINST PAROLE AND WHAT YOU CAN DO
[Texans for Equal Justice LINK]
Send letters, emails, or faxes protesting the parole of Roger William Bewely... Houston Police Sgt. Linda Riojas Barrera, a 22-year veteran (SWAT, Hostage Negotiator & Recruitment Specialist) was shot multiple times in the back while attempting to flee her killer, Roger W. Bewley, after she requested he move out of her house. When Linda went to the phone, Bewley asked her repeatedly if she was calling the police... Bewley should be considered an ongoing threat to society now and in the future due to his unpredictable and uncontrollable rage... Bewley was allowed to choose his own punishment when the DA accepted his plea of 20 years against the wishes of the family which was negotiated by his high profile, high dollar Houston attorney... Help spare Linda's family and friends the agony of going through a yearly parole review protest by demanding a five-year offset before future parole reviews. Prison will keep him away from society in a place where he cannot take the life of someone else's only daughter, only sister or best friend.

POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH MURDER/CO-WORKER WHO WAS ALSO LOVE INTEREST IS FOUND SLAIN
Houston Chronicle
Author: S.K. Bardwell, Stefanie Asin
September 4, 1996
[Excerpts] A Houston police officer was charged Tuesday with murdering a fellow officer - his romantic partner - during an argument in the home they shared. Sgt. Linda A. Barrera , 42, a 20-year Houston Police Department veteran, was shot to death in the southwest Houston home in the 5900 block of Belrose... Officer Roger W. Bewley, 36, who had lived with Barrera in her house for the past year, was arrested as he tried to leave the scene... Barrera crouched as Bewley approached her, and [Linda's] brother ran out the front door to phone police from a neighbor's house. He said he heard two gunshots... The tragedy shocked many at HPD's downtown headquarters, where both Barrera and Bewley worked... Police Chief Sam Nuchia called Barrera , one of the first Hispanic women to achieve the rank of sergeant in the department, "a fine woman, a good sergeant, and a good friend to all of us. Most of us have known her for a number of years... We feel the loss very deeply." Nuchia said the fact that another officer is accused of killing Barrera compounded his dismay. He said of Bewley, "We feel that we've lost him as well." Bewley was relieved of duty immediately Tuesday - with pay, until the appropriate paperwork is completed, Nuchia said. "If the facts are as they seem to be, clearly his career with the department is over." Nuchia said...

HOUSTON POLICE OFFICER CHARGED IN SHOOTING DEATH OF COLLEAGUE
The Dallas Morning News
September 5, 1996
[Excerpts] A Houston police officer has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a female officer with whom he had been living, authorities say. Officer Roger W. Bewley, 36, was charged Tuesday in Monday night's slaying of Police Sgt. Linda A. Barrera , 42, a 20-year Houston Police Department veteran... Assistant Police Chief Jimmie Dotson, Officer Bewley's supervisor, said it was known that Sgt. Barrera and the officer were living together. "I saw no symptoms whatsoever" of problems in their relationship, Chief Dotson said

SERVICES FOR OFFICER SET
Houston Chronicle
September 5, 1996
Services for Houston Police Department Sgt. Linda A. Barrera will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday at St. Cyril of Alexandria Catholic Church, 10503 Westheimer. Visitation for family and friends will be from 1-6 p.m. today at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home, 6700 Ferris. A vigil will be held at St. Cyril at 7 p.m...

SOME HISPANICS WORRIED OVER HANDLING OF SLAYING
Houston Chronicle
Jo Ann Zuniga
September 6, 1996
[Excerpts] Leaders of some Houston Hispanic organizations have raised questions about whether a Houston police officer charged with fatally shooting a fellow officer is receiving preferential treatment. Sgt. Linda Barrera , 42, the first Hispanic woman to attain the rank of sergeant in the Houston Police Department, was shot to death Monday at the home she shared with Officer Roger Bewley. Bewley, charged with murder, was released Tuesday after posting $20,000 bail. Maria Jimenez, local director of the American Friends Service Committee, said several Latinas have called her to express outrage about the $20,000 bail required for Bewley. "Some were mothers whose teen-agers were charged in nonviolent crimes and got a $40,000 bond," she said... Johnny Mata, local director for the League of United Latin American Citizens, said his office has received calls from the Hispanic community complaining about comments made by Police Chief Sam Nuchia. In a press conference, Nuchia expressed sorrow over the loss of Barrera . He said the department's grief was compounded since the alleged killer is an officer, adding, "We feel that we've lost him (Bewley) as well." "How can you say you lost two good people when he is charged with killing her?" Mata said...

SERGEANT SLAIN IN HER HOME IS BURIED
Houston Chronicle
By T.J. Milling
09/07/1996
[Excerpts] Houston police Sgt. Linda Riojas Barrera, a spry and cheerful 22-year veteran shot to death in her home, was laid to rest Friday. The funeral for Barrera, 42, the department's first Hispanic female sergeant, was attended by hundreds of officers, friends and family. Her supervisor and a longtime friend, Assistant Chief Geraldine Stewart, a police academy classmate of Barrera's two decades ago, heaped praise on her colleague. "Never a day went by that Linda wasn't smiling," Stewart said. ""Linda was a special woman. She was one of a kind. She will not be forgotten." Barrera was found shot in the back just inside the front door of her house... Her live-in boyfriend, Officer Roger W. Bewley, 36, who has since been charged with murder and released on bond, was trying to flee when officers arrived... Rev. William Young cautioned against revenge. "To understand the nature of a tragedy is to be incapable of taking sides," he said. "There is no room today for hatred, for vengeance"... She was one of the first group of officers to participate in the bicycle ride to Los Angeles benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. She played outfield, alongside Stewart, in charity softball events. She played on three community soccer teams. And she had a commendation-studded career at the Houston Police Department, working in divisions from the Special Weapons and Tactical Unit to patrol to her most recent position, in recruiting. "Linda was dedicated to improving minority recruiting,"" Stewart said. "She took that very seriously." Barrera had a penchant for colorful visors, which she wore to all the charity sporting events she participated in. Her family passed them all out to her friends Friday. The cheery, bright colors stood in stark contrast to the dark clothing of the mourners, but friends said Barrera would have wanted it that way. "Linda was a pioneer, a trailblazer," HPD Chaplain Ed Davis said. "We have lost a loved one, a co-worker and a very dear friend."

CONFERENCE TO DRAW 400 FEMALE HPD OFFICERS
Houston Chronicle
Eric Hanson
March 24, 1997
[Excerpts] As many as 400 female members of the Houston Police Department are expected to attend the fourth annual Women in Policing Conference here beginning today. "We started it in 1994 and it is designed to give the women of the HPD more training and to help them network with each other and move up the ladder of the department," said Officer Mae Walker... This year's conference is being dedicated to the memory of Sgt. Linda Riojas Barrera , 42, who was killed Sept. 1 of last year when she was shot during a domestic dispute at her home. Her boyfriend, an HPD officer, was arrested and charged with murder

EX-OFFICER GETS 20 YEARS
Houston Chronicle
June 16, 1998
[Excerpts] A former Houston police officer cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty Monday to the 1996 murder of a fellow officer - his girlfriend - and agreed to serve 20 years in prison. Roger W. Bewley, who has been out on bond pending trial, will turn himself in Friday and state District Judge Debbie Mantooth Stricklin will impose his sentence. He won't be eligible for parole for at least 10 years...

FAMILY WANTS JURY TRIAL IN SLAYING - OFFICER'S 20-YEAR SENTENCE AFTER PLEA BARGAIN CALLED INSUFFICIENT
Houston Chronicle
Stefanie Asin
June 18, 1998
[Excerpts] The family of a murdered Houston police officer is fuming about the 20-year plea bargain her admitted killer, a fellow officer, made with the district attorney's office. In 10 years, Roger Bewley will be eligible for parole in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Linda Barrera , a 20-year HPD veteran. Barrera, Houston 's first Hispanic female police sergeant, was shot in the back on Sept. 2, 1996, during an argument with Bewley. The family wants a jury trial... "Roger Bewley is pulling the strings," said Ernest Riojas, Barrera 's brother. "The people should decide what happens to Roger Bewley." The family wants him to be tried, and maybe be dealt a stiffer sentence. They said they would accept a lesser sentence if it came from a jury.... He is free on bail until Friday. The justice system failed the family, said Sophia Riojas, Barrera's mother, speaking near a display of numerous photographs of her smiling daughter. "From the first day we did not want plea bargaining," she said. "What about my daughter? Every time I see a police car, my emotions kick in. Ten years is not enough for me." The family said the DA's office did not listen to them. The sentence was the best resolution for the case, said assistant district attorney Lyn McClellan. Juries often are reluctant to send police officers to prison for very long, and based on Bewley's clean record, probation was a possibility. He said Bewley has a good reputation among his peers, and has a history of medical problems. McClellan said if Bewley had good character witnesses and he sobbed on the stand, he might have a chance at probation. "I don't buy it," he said. "Is there a juror it might have an effect on? Yes." Bewley called 911 after the shooting and on the tape his sobs and pleas of desperation can be heard. It would have been played for the jurors, McClellan said... For Bewley, the plea bargain was also the best resolution, said Dick DeGuerin, his attorney. "For a police officer to go to prison for 20 years is pretty rough. It would be like an ordinary citizen getting a life sentence," he said... Bewley is expected to apologize to Barrera 's family at his sentencing Friday in state District Judge Debbie Mantooth Stricklin's court...

BROTHER OF SLAIN OFFICER DECRIES PLEA BARGAIN DEAL
Houston Chronicle
By Steve Brewer
Sat 06/20/1998
[Excerpts] The brother of a slain Houston policewoman confronted her killer in a packed courtroom Friday and blasted the judicial system for allowing him to strike a 20-year plea bargain with prosecutors. With dozens of supporters and family members of Linda Riojas Barrera, including several Houston police officers, jammed into court, Henry Riojas told Roger William Bewley during his sentencing that he had broken the hearts of the victim's family. "The murder of Linda has forever changed our lives and yours," Riojas told Bewley on behalf of his family. "May God have mercy on your soul, for I do not wish it."Bewley, who apologized to the family before state District Judge Debbie Mantooth Stricklin sentenced him, gazed back at Barrera's brother uncomfortably as he spoke... "I often think how I would feel if one of my family members was killed, and I also think of what I would do with the killers," Bewley told the judge during the hearing and before Riojas' remarks. "I would want the worst possible punishment possible"... Barrera's family expressed outrage that Bewley, who they say was treated like a member of their family, was allowed to cut a deal. But prosecutors said the deal made sense because juries are often reluctant to send police officers to prison for very long, and based on Bewley's clean record, probation was also a possibility. The deal, they explained, guarantees that Bewley does prison time... Riojas and other family members said during a protest outside the courthouse before the sentencing that they were willing to take a chance with a jury. "Giving a criminal the chance to choose its own punishment is wrong," Riojas said during the protest. "The people of Texas should be able to do that"... The raw emotion of the event became apparent, when Bewley, dressed in a dark suit, was brought to an elevator in handcuffs after the sentencing. With bailiffs swarming around to provide security, another of Barrera's brothers, Daniel Riojas, called out to Bewley. "Coldblooded bastard," Daniel Riojas shouted. Barrera's younger brother then broke down and screamed about Bewley getting off with 10 years. He struck another elevator with his fists and screamed more epithets at Bewley before he was hustled away by his tearful brother.
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence (IPV) abuse law enforcement public safety fatality fatalities murder texas state prison cop-on-cop]