Casey Polhemus

District Attorney
Clay Riddle Chris Hamilton
Assistant District Attorney Investigator
Clay.Riddle@co.montague.tx.us Chris.Hamilton@co.montague.tx.us

97th Judicial District of Texas Cassie Smith

Archer, Clay, & Montague Counties Victim Assistance Coordinator
P.O. Box 55 Cassie.Smith@co.montague.tx.us
Montague, Texas 76251
Stacy Hudson
Phone : (940) 894-6211 Administrative Assistant
Fax : (940) 894-6203 Stacy.Hudson@co.montague.tx.us
E-mail : Casey.Polhemus@co.montague.tx.us

May 4, 2020
Press Release – For Immediate Release

Re: The State of Texas vs. Saconn Renea Ayala

The State of Texas vs. Charles Ray Hunter
The State of Texas vs. Lee Alfredo Villalpando

97th District Attorney Casey Polhemus reports that on May 2, 2020, Saconn Renea Ayala,
Charles Ray Hunter, and Lee Alfredo Villalpando were each charged with murder for their role in
the death of John Lewis Helms, age 24.

On April 19, 2020, around 9:00 p.m., Helms’ body was discovered on Half House Road in
Archer County, Texas. The extensive investigation revealed that Helms suffered multiple blunt
force injuries to the head and body, and multiple stab wounds to the back.

Each of the suspects were in custody on other charges when the murder charge was filed
by the 97th District Attorney’s Office early Saturday morning. Ayala was arrested on April 26,
2020 for drug and theft charges in Wichita County; Hunter was arrested on April 27, 2020 for drug
charges in Wichita County; and Villalpando was arrested in Young County on May 2, 2020 for
felony assault charges out of Tarrant County.

DA Polhemus commented, “I am very proud of the teamwork that led to the arrests in this
case. It was a multi-jurisdictional effort that included the 97th District Attorney’s Office
Investigators, the Texas Rangers, the Wichita Falls Police Department, and the Wichita County
District Attorney’s Office Investigators. They all worked tirelessly to find Helms’ killers and bring
them to justice.”