Juvenile Accused of Killing Man Outside Dallas Costco To Be Tried as an Adult

A 16-year-old accused of robbing and killing 60-year-old Ali Elbanna outside a Dallas Costco last year will be tried as an adult.

Judge Cheryl Shannon of the 305th Dallas County Juvenile District Court certified Friday that Cameron Range, who will turn 17 next month, will be tried as an adult in the capital murder trial.

Elbanna's family said Friday they were grateful for the judge's decision that Range would face trial as an adult.

"This is a small victory and just the beginning of our push for justice for our father and our main goal of making sure this individual can’t hurt anyone else like he hurt our family," the family said in a statement.

During a hearing on Friday, prosecutors argued Range simply wasn't fit to stay in Texas' juvenile justice system, given his age, the severity of the alleged crime, and an offending history in the Dallas County juvenile system dating back to the age of 12.

Shannon ruled from the bench, concluding the alleged "willful and violent" act involved the use of a deadly weapon, coupled with Range not responding to prior juvenile interventions and being on probation at the time, led to the decision to transfer him to adult court.

Iman Elbanna said the ruling provided a measure of relief for herself and her siblings as they await a future criminal trial date for Range and three other suspects accused of involvement in her father's killing. However, she added, her belief that Range should not have been released from juvenile custody last November.

"It is my firm belief that had he not been released at that time, my father would still be here today," Elbanna said.

Shannon recommended Range be held on a $500,000 bond, which is consistent with a capital murder adult charge.

The trial date has not been set.

ALI ELBANNA MURDER

Ali Elbanna, of Arlington, was shot and killed outside the Costco Business Center on Park Lane on Nov. 16, 2021.

According to police reports, Elbanna was loading groceries into his vehicle just before 7 p.m. when he was approached by four people who robbed and shot him.

Dallas Police later arrested four people accused in the crime, including three who faced charges of capital murder along with multiple counts of aggravated robbery for offenses that were alleged to have occurred earlier in the day.

Dallas Police said the group, identified in arrest affidavits as James Levels, Jacoby Bryce Tatum, Janiya Lashay Miller, along with a then-unnamed juvenile boy, "demanded property," and that during the robbery the juvenile shot the man once.

In the arresting documents obtained in November 2021, the three adults agreed to waive their rights and talk with detectives without an attorney. Police said each admitted to having committed at least two other robberies before the fatal shooting in the Costco parking lot and that Levels admitted that the gun used in the murder was his.