EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The trial against one of five defendants accused of brutally murdering Fort Bliss soldier Tyler Croke back in 2017 hit another snag Tuesday when Assistant District Attorney Rene Flores announced in court he’d submitted his resignation and would be leaving the DA’s office at the end of next week.
26-year-old Tristan Chilton is accused of murdering Croke in his East El Paso apartment in an alleged attempt to steal drugs from him in May 2017. Two of the defendants in the case, Stephanie Fernandez and Zachary Johnston, have already been sentenced to life in prison. However, the cases against the three remaining defendants are still in limbo.
The District Attorney’s office is now asking for a continuance in the trial against Chilton, which was scheduled to begin on October 13. Judge Marcos Lizarraga requested their office file a motion for continuance to consider before deciding whether the case will be delayed.
Flores is the latest in a string of Assistant District Attorneys to depart embattled DA Yvonne Rosales’ office in the last month. In August, Rosales fired ADA John Briggs, who was responsible for the death penalty trials against the man accused of murdering Deputy Peter Herrera in 2019 and the alleged Walmart shooter.
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