Naman Shrestha
A&E’s ‘The First 48: Red Brick/Last Kiss’ chronicles two different cases, one of which is the horrific killing of 32-year-old Tory Fuller in Dallas, Texas, in the summer of 2012. When the news about the tragedy broke out, shockwaves were sent across the entire community. As the detectives dug deeper into the case, they learned chilling details about the homicide from a witness. All the intricate details about the case are explored in the documentary, which also features exclusive and in-depth interviews with Tory’s loved ones and the officials who worked hard to solve the case.
Tory Fuller Was Found Dead in His Parked Car
Born on February 25, 1980, in Dallas, Texas, Tory James DeVon Fuller was the beloved son of Raymond and Sherrion Calico Fuller. He was raised in a seemingly loving and supportive household alongside his brother, Rayland Fuller. He received his high school education from Samuell High School and graduated in 1998. In 2005, he got his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) issued by Tri-State. About six years later, in 2011, Tory enrolled at the Advanced Training Institute (ATI), where he studied HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). He was a kindhearted individual who never hesitated to lend a helping hand to those in need.
On the personal front, Tory was a doting father to two kids — Shatoria and Cotoria Fuller. His daughters were the center of his world, and he cherished every moment he spent with them. He did everything he could to give them the best life possible. A devout individual, he was a lifelong member of the Ewing Street Church of the Living God under the leadership of Bishop C.C. Berry, Jr. It came as a shock to everyone who knew him when his life was cut short under tragic circumstances in 2012. Shortly after 5:30 am on August 11, 2012, police were called to the 1400 block of Mission Hills Lane, near the C.F. Hawn Freeway and Lake June Road, where they reportedly found a parked car they soon determined to be Tory’s. The 32-year-old was accompanied by a woman named Katisha Perry.
According to the paramedics, Tory Fuller was discovered unresponsive, slumped over in the driver’s seat, with the vehicle in park and the engine running. On the other hand, Perry wasn’t injured but had blood splatter across her body. The autopsy revealed that one of the bullets struck his neck, causing fatal damage to his carotid artery and jugular vein. Thus, the cause of his death was determined to be a gunshot wound to the neck. Upon examining the crime scene, the Dallas Police Department also discovered scrape marks on the cement of the area where the car was parked, indicating that the perpetrator shot a few rounds into the ground. In order to get to the bottom of the case, the police launched a homicide investigation immediately.
Tory Fuller’s Killer Turned Himself in After a Few Days of the Shooting
As part of the investigation, the detectives talked to the witness present during the commission of the crime — Tory Fuller’s girlfriend, Katisha Perry. In her interview, she told the investigators that in the early hours of August 11, 2012, she and Tory were having an intimate moment in the back seat of the car, parked at a vacant lot on her street. According to her, that’s when a man named Julio Cesar Villalba approached them and knocked on the car’s window with a gun. Julio’s house was a couple of houses down from the vacant lot. He allegedly told them to get away from the front of his house.
An argument ensued between him and Tory, during which the former allegedly fired three or four shots in front of Tory’s feet. As per Karisha’s account, the couple began to leave when Julio suddenly began shooting at the driver’s side windshield, striking Tory in the neck. The suspect then fled the scene in his car. Investigative reports also suggested that Julio and Tory had been involved in another argument earlier in the week. During the investigation, the detectives could not locate the murder weapon or Julio’s car. However, three days after the shooting, Julio surrendered himself to the police, after which he was held at the Dallas County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He was then charged with the murder of Tory Fuller.
Julio Cesar Villalba is Serving His Sentence at a Texas Prison
At Julio Cesar Villalba’s trial, the prosecution focused on evidence and witness statements against the defendant. Karisha also took the stand and testified against Julio, providing a detailed account of what transpired on the fateful morning, according to her. On the other hand, the defense brought Julio’s sister, Ruth, to testify in his favor. In her testimony, she alleged that she witnessed Tory backing his car into her brother’s car in the early hours of August 11, 2012, after their verbal altercation. She told the jury that Julio pulled out a gun after Tory allegedly hit his car. The defense then requested jury instructions on self-defense and manslaughter, stating, “I think there, hitting the car, my client’s car with the client being nearby, so he can have an apprehension of fear of being threatened by a deadly weapon, a vehicle.”
Both appeals were denied by the court. In the end, the jury deliberated and returned with a final verdict. Julio was convicted of murder and sentenced to 70 years in prison for his involvement in the killing of Tory Fuller. The killer’s previous convictions included two separate incidents of evading arrest, two separate incidents of marijuana possession, and a failure to ID. Soon after his sentencing, his defense counsel filed an appeal, arguing that the trial court erred by not submitting instructions on self-defense and manslaughter. However, the appeal was denied by the Court of Appeals. As of today, the 41-year-old killer is serving his sentence at the French M. Robertson Unit in Abilene, Texas, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for August 2042.
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