Dallas PD officer Bryan Riser, fired after capital murder allegations, settles with city (2024)

The city of Dallas is going to pay what will likely be hundreds of thousands of dollars to a police officer that the department had accused of capital murder.

Bryan Riser, a former patrol officer, was accused by his department of ordering the 2017 killings of Liza Saenz and Albert Douglas. But a bungled police investigation led to the charges being dismissed — and Riser’s appeal to win back his job.

On Wednesday, Riser and the city reached a settlement that ends his appeal. Riser finished the last stage of that appeals process last month with a hearing before an administrative law judge. City officials and Riser began to negotiate a settlement after the first phase of that hearing.

His attorney, Robert Rogers, confirmed the settlement. Riser will receive three years of backpay, which could amount to about $200,000 to $300,000 depending on certain factors, Rogers said. He said Riser was reinstated to his job, but as part of the agreement, will resign immediately — which he said is “best for both parties.”

“Bryan has no desire to go back to the Dallas Police Department,” Rogers said, adding that he’s focused on moving on with his life in the private sector. “This was more about clearing his name.”

A city spokesperson declined to comment. Dallas police officials referred inquiries to the city, but said “the homicide investigation is ongoing.”

In a Facebook post last month, Riser wrote that he was “0-4 with local news but 4-0 with local Judges,” noting that he would “take that any day out of the week.”

“What’s understood don’t have to be explained,” he said, attaching a photo of himself making a peace sign with one hand. He added the hashtags “redemption,” “liveunderdog,” “WinningSeason” and “RiserStrong.”

Dallas police officials fired and arrested Riser on two capital murder counts in March 2021 after an investigation by veteran homicide detective Esteban Montenegro, who testified a month later that he wrote untrue information in the affidavit that served as the basis for arresting Riser. He characterized his incorrect statements as mistakes.

Riser was released from jail in April 2021 after a judge decided there wasn’t enough evidence to keep him locked up. Dallas police Chief Eddie García vowed at the time to keep investigating him.

Riser has long maintained his innocence. Former City Manager T.C. Broadnax rejected his city appeal last year.

Saenz’s body was found in the Trinity River south of downtown Dallas the night of March 10, 2017. Six months later, three men — Emmanuel Kilpatrick, Kevin Kidd and Jermon Simmons — were arrested on capital murder charges.

A narcotics detective testified in September 2017 that Riser and his father, Byron “Blue” Riser, were also subjects of the investigation into her murder. Saenz had been living with Riser at the time of her death.

Kilpatrick contacted police in August 2019 as he was preparing to stand trial, Montenegro wrote in an affidavit. He told Montenegro that Riser, whom he had gone to high school with, ordered the killing and paid $3,500.

Montenegro wrote in the affidavit that the FBI’s analysis placed Riser’s phone and squad car at the locations where Kilpatrick said they met and planned the kidnappings of Saenz and Douglas. The detective wrote that cellphone data also placed Riser in or around the area of the killings. But the data did not put Riser in the area when the killings occurred, and Montenegro later testified that he made a mistake in writing that it did.

No evidence connects Riser to Douglas’ disappearance, Montenegro said. Douglas’ body was never found.

During the city appeals process, Rogers said, the administrative law judge threw out the allegations related to the capital murder case, but sustained an internal violation that Riser gave untruthful statements during an investigation. That violation stemmed from Riser saying he saw Kilpatrick once at a donut shop, then later told investigators that he may have seen Kilpatrick twice, according to Rogers.

“It’s always rewarding when you can help a client that was wrongly accused work toward getting their life back together,” Rogers said Wednesday.

Dallas police later placed Montenegro on leave amid a criminal investigation into his handling of Riser’s case. In February 2023, a grand jury declined to charge him with two felony cases of tampering with records and one case of perjury.

Montenegro is now assigned to the auto-pound unit. The administrative investigation is ongoing, according to police officials.

Fallout from the case continues. Riser sued Montenegro in federal court in 2022, accusing the detective of violating his civil rights and falsely arresting and jailing him. That case is pending, according to court records.