John Pasco

John R. Pasco was a handsome and kind young man, remembered as a star athlete in football, track, and baseball in his hometown in Iowa. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he moved to Texas with the hope of eventually returning to his home state to work as a police officer, as law enforcement jobs were scarce there at the time. At 27 years old, the white male officer had been with the Dallas Police Department for about a year and a half, wearing badge number 4545 and serving in the Central Patrol division. His colleagues remembered him as a good man, and his family, including a young niece, cherished the short time they had with him.

On the afternoon of Sunday, January 16, 1983, Officer Pasco was on patrol when he witnessed a man firing a .25 caliber handgun into the air in the 1800 block of Park Avenue in Dallas. Pasco immediately called for backup and began a foot pursuit of the suspect. As he closed in, the man turned and shot Officer Pasco once in the head. The officer was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he died from his wound about six hours later. The man who shot him was no stranger to Pasco; the officer had arrested him just ten months prior for unlawfully possessing a firearm.

The Dallas Police Department launched an immediate and intensive search for the suspect. A description was broadcast, and about 45 minutes after the shooting, officers located and arrested a man named Ramon Montoya just blocks from the scene. Montoya, a 38-year-old Mexican national, had a history of prior convictions for burglary and weapons possession. Police believed he was trying to avoid his twelfth arrest in eight years, which could have led to his deportation, as he had previously been deported on a weapons charge and had re-entered the United States illegally.

Ramon Montoya was charged with capital murder. During his trial, he claimed the gun had discharged accidentally when he fell as Officer Pasco grabbed his arm during the chase. The prosecution argued that he intentionally shot the officer to prevent his own capture. A jury convicted Montoya of capital murder and, after finding that he posed a continuing threat to society, sentenced him to death by lethal injection.

Montoya’s case went through a decade of appeals. His lawyers argued that his confession had been improperly obtained, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the conviction in 1987, and the U.S. Supreme Court later declined to hear the case. His impending execution drew international attention, with the government of Mexico and the Vatican making pleas for mercy. These efforts resulted in a temporary stay of execution in January 1993, but the legal challenges were ultimately exhausted.

On March 25, 1993, ten years after he murdered Officer John Pasco, Ramon Montoya was executed at the state prison in Huntsville, Texas. His father, Paz Montoya, was present. Just before the lethal injection was administered, Montoya spoke to his father in Spanish, saying, "May God help us. I'm ready." He was pronounced dead seven minutes later. The case is now considered closed, with the perpetrator having been tried, convicted, and executed for the crime. Officer Pasco's service and sacrifice are honored by the Dallas Police Department, which lists him among its fallen heroes, ensuring he is never forgotten.