A Hidalgo County grand jury has indicted a 41-year-old McAllen man over allegations he kidnapped and murdered his ex-wife last August during what authorities called a carefully planned episode of violence.
Richard Ford is charged with capital murder by terror threat; assaulting a family member, impeding breath; violation of a protective order assault/stalk; and stalking.
The grand jury indicted Ford last Thursday.
He is accused of killing 37-year-old Melissa Banda on Aug. 6.
Police say the deadly scheme began at 3:49 p.m. that day when Ford allegedly forced Banda into the back seat of a Dodge Journey from her home in the 7100 block of North Seventh Street in McAllen.
At a press conference after Ford’s arrest, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said a nanny at the home witnessed the alleged abduction and reported it to police.
The incident was also caught on surveillance video, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“The video showed that as soon as Ms. Banda arrived at the home, Mr. Ford approached her from behind and grabbed her and covered her mouth. Ms. Banda began to kick and scream and Mr. Ford continued to wrestle with her until he got to the Dodge Journey. Mr. Ford is seen shoving Ms. Banda into the backseat and then he gets into the driver seat,” the affidavit states.
That is the last time Banda is seen alive.
Less than 36 hours after she disappeared, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office discovered her body on a rural patch of land north of Donna.
Sheriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra previously said investigators believe this is where Ford killed her.
“She was placed there approximately less than an hour after she was taken from her home,” Guerra said.
Banda died from a laceration to her throat, the sheriff said.
The indictment alleges Ford cut her with a knife.
Authorities arrested Ford on Aug. 8 on South Padre Island, which the McAllen chief previously said was an effort to misdirect investigators.
“I’m going to suggest to you that a lot of the things which will ultimately be revealed in the investigation and prosecution of this case are planning by him. A lot of it involved planning on his part and we think the ultimate trip to South Padre Island was part of that planning process; theoretically, we think to misdirect us,” Rodriguez said.
The chief also said at that press conference that the surveillance video that caught the kidnapping on tape also helped them identify the vehicle driven by Ford.
Guerra said McAllen detectives and the FBI obtained GPS records from the Dodge Journey which lead them to Banda’s body and to Ford after that data put Ford near Beach Access No. 5 on South Padre Island nearly six hours after the alleged kidnapping.
Cameron County Park Rangers followed up and arrested Ford.
“The unfortunate thing for us is that when we found him we didn’t find her and that is what really alarmed us, because certainly the kidnapping was very, very violent and the fact that she was not with him at the time that we found him … and this is several hours later,” Rodriguez, the McAllen police chief, said at the time.
That GPS data ultimately lead investigators to an area east of FM 493 on Mile 14 1/2 North in rural Donna, which is where Banda’s body was found.
Guerra, the sheriff, said that data showed the vehicle had been stationary there for a little more than 12 minutes.
Authorities say Ford had a history of violence and harassment against Banda, who on Feb. 28, 2020, had obtained a protective order against the man after he allegedly assaulted her.
In that incident, police say Ford forced his way into Banda’s house, covered her mouth and nose so she couldn’t breathe and threatened her and her children after an argument over the value of their home and some assets, according to a probable cause affidavit.
“Melissa stated after Richard assaulted her he told her ‘for the sake of the kids, don’t tell anyone what happened,’” a probable cause affidavit for his arrest stated. “Melissa stated Richard left before police arrived and later found out he picked up their kids … from school so she was afraid he would do something to them.
On June 30, Banda again reported Ford to police after he called her — a violation of the protective order — and stayed silent on the line.
The indictment also provides new details into previously undisclosed allegations against Ford, including that on March 26 he sent a recording to Banda threatening to kill her, as well as excessively calling Banda and following her.
Both Rodriguez, the McAllen police chief, and Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez called Ford evil after his arrest.
“It’s not Ms. Banda’s fault. It’s just a bad person who wanted to do a bad thing to Ms. Banda; a very, very bad person, a very evil person,” the district attorney said.
Ford remains jailed on $4.5 million in bonds and as of Monday morning, an arraignment date on the indictment hadn’t been scheduled, court records show.
