A 42-year-old McAllen man on Friday rejected a plea deal that would have sent him to prison for the rest of his life over allegations that he kidnapped his ex-wife in broad daylight before murdering her less than an hour later by cutting her throat.
Richard Ford appeared for the hearing in front of state District Judge Rose Guerra Reyna from the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center via video-conferencing, court records indicate.
Ford is accused of killing 37-year-old Melissa Banda on Aug. 6, 2020, after forcing her into the back seat of a Dodge Journey outside of her home at 3:49 p.m. in the 7100 block of North Seventh Street.
He is facing an indictment charging him with capital murder, assaulting a family member, violation of a protective order and stalking.
On Jan. 19, prosecutors had extended a plea recommendation where if Ford plead guilty to capital murder he would be sentenced to life in prison and the remaining charges against him would be dropped, court records indicate.
By rejecting the offer, Ford is scheduled to proceed to trial in November.
Court records indicate the parties anticipate the trial lasting five days and that a panel of 100 potential jurors will be summoned for the attorneys to choose a panel of 12 to hear the case and decide whether Ford is guilty.
Following his arrest, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said a nanny witnessed the abduction and called police, and a probable cause affidavit for Ford’s arrest said the abduction was caught on surveillance video.
“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,” the affidavit stated. “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 in the backseat and he gets into the driver seat.”
Less than 36 hours later, sheriff’s investigators found her body in a rural area north of Donna.
Sheriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra said at a press conference following Ford’s arrest that this is where investigators believe he killed Banda.
Authorities found Ford on Aug. 8 at South Padre Island, where he was arrested.
Rodriguez, the McAllen police chief, previously said investigators believe Ford’s trip to the island was an attempt to misdirect police.
Ford has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains jailed on a total of $4.5 million in bonds.
