Dallas County Sheriff's Department, Texas
End of Watch: Monday, February 15, 1971
Age: 32
Tour of Duty: 11 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 15, 1971
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Life in prison
Deputy Sheriff Samuel Infante, Deputy William Reese, and Deputy Arthur Robertson, of the Ellis County Sheriff's Department, were shot and killed after being abducted by two men while conducting a burglary investigation. Their murders became known as the "Trinity River Massacre".
Deputy Reese and Deputy Infante were backing up Deputy Robertson at the home of one of the suspects. Five deputies were abducted and taken to the Trinity River. The three deputies killed were shot execution style. A fourth Dallas County deputy was able to escape and get help. The fifth deputy was shot in the chest but survived.
The suspects, 24 and 33, were apprehended four days later in Dallas after the most intensive search in Dallas County history. They later told investigators they wanted to leave Dallas and get away as far as they could, but their heroin habit was so bad they needed to stay near their suppliers. The oldest had spent 18 years of his life in prison for numerous crimes, including armed robbery and burglary. A murder charge against him had been dropped recently because witnesses refused or were either too afraid to testify.
The case had widespread repercussions in Dallas for reasons other than the actual killing. Two persons believed to be informants in the hunt for the two had died. One was shot and killed in Dallas. The other was killed in an oil drilling accident that had indications of foul play.
Both suspects were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 1972 their sentences were commuted to life. The youngest was paroled on December 18, 1990. No one was notified of his parole hearing. His parole angered so many state and federal officials that the parole process was changed. The most major change was that anyone convicted of capital murder could not be considered for parole for 35 years. Then in October of 1995, the suspect was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Lubbock. For reasons unknown, nothing surfaced that he had violated his parole. Thanks to a Dallas jailer, now the Lubbock Police Chief, who was involved with the suspect when he was arrested for the three murders, notified the proper authorities and had him jailed for violating his parole, and he was returned to prison. He died in prison on August 6, 2017. The other suspect died in prison on August 21, 2021.
Deputy Infante was a United States Navy veteran and had served with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office for five years and previously served with the Corpus Christi Police Department. He was survived by his wife, son, parents, four brothers, and two sisters.