TEXARKANA, Texas -- A teenage capital murder suspect has court dates scheduled in 2023.
Kevonte Collins, 17, of Texarkana, Texas, has been certified as an adult and faces a capital murder charge in the December 2021 shootings at the Oaks at Rosehill apartments on West 13th Street in Texarkana that killed two teens and seriously injured another. He also faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Collins was 16 at the time of the crimes.
Collins was arraigned Oct. 17 in Bowie County 5th District Court. According to court documents, a pretrial hearing has been scheduled for March 20, 2023, followed by a second hearing in August 2023.
The jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 31, 2023, according to court documents.
Collins was arrested May 2 in DeSoto, Texas.
After receiving credible information that Collins could be found at a residence in DeSoto, Texarkana Texas Police Sgt. Brad Thacker and Detective Cory Motley travelled to DeSoto to coordinate with law enforcement agencies there and request their assistance in serving the warrant, according to the Texarkana Texas Police Department.
Due to the violent nature of Collins' charge and threatening statements he allegedly made on social media about not being arrested, a tactical approach was initiated by the officers. When confronted at the residence, Collins immediately surrendered and was taken into custody without incident. Two firearms were seized inside the residence.
TTPD worked with DeSoto Police, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Southwest Regional Response Group's Special Response Team.
A district court order had previously authorized the release of Collins' identity despite his being 16 at the time of the killings. The court order was issued to help police share information with the public in hopes of finding Collins.
Collins was brought back to Texarkana in July. He remains in the Bi-State jail with bail set at $1 million on the capital murder charge and $300,000 on the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge.
He is represented by attorney Joshua Potter, according to court documents.