Cesar Olalde, a 19-year-old from Bowie County, has pleaded guilty to the fatal shooting of his parents and two siblings in May 2023, just days before his high school graduation. Olalde, a resident of Nash, confessed to investigators that he believed his family were cannibals and feared they were going to eat him.
The tragic incident occurred on May 23, 2023, when Olalde shot and killed four family members, including his mother, Aida Garcia-Mendoza; father, Reuben Olalde; adult sister, Lisbet Olalde; and younger brother, 6-year-old Oliver Olalde. Following the murders, he concealed their bodies in a bathroom at their home located in the 500 block of Lemon Acres, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Initially, officials deemed Olalde incompetent to stand trial, but subsequent evaluations determined he was fit to face charges. The surviving members of the Olalde family accepted a plea deal, leading to the sentencing by 202nd District Judge John Tidwell.
Judge Tidwell sentenced Olalde to two concurrent life sentences for each count of murder. Additionally, he faced aggravated assault charges related to individuals threatened at gunpoint when they came to check on the family. Another charge of injury to a child was associated with the first of two rounds that struck his younger brother.
In total, Olalde received a sentence of life in prison plus 50 years, consisting of two 20-year terms for aggravated assault and a 10-year term for injury to a child, all served consecutively to the life sentences.
