A Dallas man who shot and injured Hill County Precinct 4 Constable Kevin Cordell in May 2021 has been sentenced to 55 years in prison after pleading guilty to the crime.
Hector Murillo, now 21, is also facing charges in Dallas and Johnson counties after a multi-county pursuit during which Cordell was shot in the face and the defendant’s twin brother, Adrian Murillo, was killed.
Dallas and Johnson counties asked Hill County District Attorney Mark Pratt to prosecute the local case first, and Murillo was brought to the Hill County jail to await trial after being released from the hospital.
Information presented by Pratt showed that Dallas authorities began following the Murillo brothers, who were suspects in a Dallas murder case and had aggravated assault warrants for which they had been released on bond. Hector has since been indicted on the murder charge.
Pratt said that the chase began in Ellis County, with Waxahachie Police Department, Ellis County Sheriff’s Office and Milford Police Chief Carlos Phoenix joining in as the brothers traveled south.
In Hill County, the twins let Adrian’s girlfriend and her two small children out under the bridge over Highway 77 in north Hillsboro. Cordell joined the pursuit at this point, and he was shot in the left cheek as he was preparing to attempt a pit-stop maneuver when the brothers headed north on I-35W. According to Pratt, Hector was the passenger and shot at Cordell through the tinted back window of the vehicle.
The chase then continued into Johnson County until the brothers crossed over the interstate and headed back south on the access road. At that point, Department of Public Safety Trooper Jason Ballew executed a pit-stop maneuver. Pratt said that just before Trooper Ballew struck the vehicle, Hector shot at him several times through the back window, which no longer contained glass. The bullets hit the trooper’s vehicle and patrol camera, but he was uninjured.
The trooper’s vehicle door would not open, so he returned fire through his front windshield. Numerous other agencies were also on hand, including an Alvarado Police Department officer with a rifle who was also returning fire.
In the gunfire, Adrian was killed, and Hector was shot once but survived.
Pratt said that Constable Cordell is doing well and attended the sentencing, which was secured with his participation.
Texas Rangers Jake Burson and Don Stoner worked the case.
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