Suspect charged with murder after dead body found at scene of Duncanville house fire, family wants answers
DUNCANVILLE — On Monday morning Duncanville firefighters responded to an apartment on Oriole Blvd. for a fire, only to find Regina Phillips inside with a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead on the scene. Now 63-year-old James Rias has been charged with her murder.
"I wished I would've saved her I wish she would've called me," said Jasmine Williams, Regina Phillips' daughter.
Regina Phillips' family is struggling to understand how someone could've taken the life of a woman who meant so much to so many people.
"My mama was my everything and I'm hurt, my heart hurt," said Williams.
"It's a big loss she done impacted so many lives," said Shurretta Metcalf, Phillips' niece.
"He did exactly what he wanted to do, hurt her, kill her take her away from us she was all we had now she gone," said Williams.
Police say Phillips and Rias lived together for years, something her family denies.
Officers were called to their home on multiple occasions for verbal altercations between the two; once back in March and again on May 5, the day before Phillips was found dead. But no one was charged with a crime for either of those calls.
"My mama used to call me and tell me she called the law they still let him, they still let him stay, it's like they didn't care and they be waiting for something to happen to do something, it's too late," said Williams. "If she's telling you somebody got a gun why not make him leave I'm not understanding why y'all didn't help her."
Duncanville Police say they responded to each call, investigated and found no offense was committed during those calls.
The suspect, James Rias, was arrested on the scene on Monday for unrelated traffic violations but on Tuesday officers obtained a warrant for his arrest for murder. Rias is being held on a $1 million bond at the Dallas County jail.
