Woman burned to death knew attackers
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“He said he didn’t think she was going to be lit,” testified TBI agent Alex Rodriguez of his interview with murder co-defendant Franklin De La Cruz, 26. His testimony came during a preliminary hearing before General Sessions Judge Larry Ross Thursday. The hearing had been requested by the defense despite the fact De La Cruz is already under indictment.
De La Cruz, along with his halfbrother, Luiz Gomez, 20, and friend Ruben Pimentel, 33, are charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson for dousing Thompson in gasoline and setting her on fire inside her home at Measels Terrace View Estates in September. Thompson, 35, died from her burns eight days later. She was burned over 85 percent of her body.
During Thursday’s preliminary hearing, it was revealed for the first time that Thompson knew her alleged killers well and had traveled to and from New York with them just prior to being murdered. De La Cruz maintained Thompson accompanied Pimentel to New York where they picked up him and his brother and brought them back to Tennessee.
It was in New York where De La Cruz said Thompson hid 14 grams of cocaine inside an air duct in the car in which they were traveling. The drugs were to be sold in Tennessee once they arrived here with Pimentel telling them the drugs would sell for more in the South than on the streets of New York.
De La Cruz told agents the cocaine disappeared from its hiding place shortly after they arrived in Tennessee and they believed Thompson had taken it.
It was at that point, De La Cruz said Pimentel came up with a plan to scare Thompson into revealing where the cocaine was hidden. The plan was to douse her in gas and threaten to light her if she did not reveal where the cocaine was stashed.
However, during further questioning by TBI agents, De La Cruz did admit Pimentel made statements that he would get his cocaine or else, meaning there could have been consideration into intentionally lighting the victim if the cocaine was not found.
De La Cruz said his role in the crime was to make sure nobody interfered with the attack, noting he threatened witnesses inside the trailer with a box cutter as Pimentel was dousing the woman in gas and Gomez was pulling the phone cord from the wall.
“It all happened so fast,” De La Cruz recalled, saying Thompson burst into flames quickly after they arrived. “I was yelling for him to put her out.”
Judge Ross agreed there was probable cause for the case to be tried following the hearing Thursday. Trial is set to begin for the three suspects Dec. 2. All three remain in jail awaiting trial.