# National Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump Joins Fight for Justice in Lake Ray Hubbard Drowning Case
**Family of Sachse High School Senior Daniel Erving Enlists High-Profile Legal Team as They Push for Murder Charges Against Teens Accused of Cover-Up**
ROWLETT, Texas — The family of a North Texas teenager who drowned at Lake Ray Hubbard earlier this year has brought nationally recognized civil rights attorney Ben Crump into their fight for justice, escalating a case that has already drawn intense scrutiny over how Dallas police handled the death investigation.
The move comes just days after two teenagers were arrested and charged in connection with the April drowning death of 18-year-old Daniel Erving, an honor roll student and swim team member at Sachse High School. Crump, known for representing families in some of the country’s most high-profile civil rights and wrongful death cases, is expected to work alongside the Erving family’s existing legal team as they push the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office to pursue homicide charges rather than the lesser tampering charges currently filed.
## A Tragedy That Took Months to Investigate
Erving vanished on April 13 after he, 19-year-old Lucas Roper, and a 17-year-old went to Lake Ray Hubbard near Miller Road in Rowlett to fish and swim. ,Erving was reported missing by the Rowlett Police Department after he was last seen with Roper and the juvenile, and investigators allege the three jumped into the water from a railroad bridge, where Erving drowned.,
Rather than seeking help, authorities say the two surviving teens panicked and fled. ,The affidavit alleges that after Erving drowned, Roper and the juvenile fled the scene in Roper’s vehicle., Investigators say the pair went even further to conceal what had happened. ,Police say the pair threw Erving’s clothing into a nearby tree line before leaving, and investigators also allege the juvenile threw Erving’s cellphone from Roper’s vehicle after Roper instructed him to do so.,
His body was not recovered for four agonizing days. ,The investigation began on April 17, when Dallas Fire-Rescue and Dallas police responded to a report of a body floating in Lake Ray Hubbard near Marina Vista in Rowlett, and a water rescue team recovered the body, which was later identified as Erving through an autopsy conducted by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office, ruling his death a drowning.,
## Admissions of a Cover-Up
According to investigators, Roper voluntarily spoke with detectives about a week after Erving disappeared. ,During a voluntary interview with detectives on April 20, Roper admitted he panicked after Erving drowned and left the scene, and he also admitted deleting all text messages and phone calls between himself and Erving because he knew there would be an investigation and did not want to get into trouble — a claim detectives later confirmed by examining his cellphone.,
Despite that early admission, it took Dallas police nearly three months to make an arrest. ,A Dallas police spokesperson said detectives identified evidence that two individuals present at the lake failed to report the incident and later discarded items belonging to Erving, resulting in arrest warrants for Roper and a juvenile suspect, each charged with tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony.,
Notably, ,the arrests came after the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Daniel Erving’s cause of death was drowning and the manner of death was ruled accidental.,
## Family Rejects “Accidental” Ruling
Erving’s mother, Tameca Erving, and the family’s legal team have publicly rejected the accidental drowning determination, arguing the circumstances surrounding her son’s death don’t add up. ,Erving’s family said he was an honor roll student and a member of the Sachse High School swim team, and the family’s attorneys said his swimming background and the alleged effort to conceal evidence warrant further investigation.,
During an emotional news conference this week, family attorney Sean Dorado did not mince words about the suspects’ behavior after Erving went missing. ,Dorado said the two suspects let Daniel Erving’s body sit on the bottom of Lake Ray Hubbard for four days while they went to school and lived their lives., He pressed prosecutors to take the case further, arguing, ,”We won’t accept tampering charges. Take this case. Take the facts. Take the evidence to a grand jury and bring the appropriate charges.”,
Tameca Erving echoed that frustration, questioning why two teenagers would go to such lengths to hide evidence if they had nothing to hide. ,”A reasonable-minded person would know, if you are not guilty of a crime, why would you throw away his clothes and delete messages and not even call his mother?” said Erving’s mother, Tameca Erving.,
Erving’s sister, Mckenzie, also spoke to reporters about the toll the ordeal has taken on the family, describing the closeness they shared with her brother. ,”It’s a solid time between all of us. We’re so equally yoked and connected that we feel this deeply,” said Daniel’s sister, Mckenzie Erving., Family members also noted that Erving had aspirations of joining the military. ,Erving’s sister noted that her brother had been preparing to join the military to serve and protect his country.,
## Police Push Back, Case Remains Open
Dallas police have defended their handling of the investigation, extending condolences to the family while standing by the medical examiner’s findings. ,Department spokesperson Erika M. Brown said the department extends its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Daniel Erving, calling it a tragic incident, and said detectives conducted a thorough investigation, including interviews, evidence collection, and coordination with the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office.,
Beyond the criminal case, the family’s attorneys have signaled they are not relying solely on the police investigation to get answers. ,Family attorney Sean Daredia says they will be conducting their own investigation., That distrust runs deep, according to Daredia, who said the family no longer has faith that local law enforcement will deliver the accountability they are seeking. ,”This family has lost confidence in the system that is supposed to protect them. This family has a distrust of the Dallas Police Department. They have not given this death of 18-year-old Daniel Erving the urgency it deserves and demands,” Daredia said.,
With Ben Crump’s national profile and track record of pressuring local jurisdictions into reexamining contested police findings, the Erving family’s push for a grand jury review of potential homicide charges is likely to draw wider public attention in the weeks ahead. For now, ,the investigation remains ongoing, and Erving’s family said it plans to continue pressing authorities for additional charges and answers about the circumstances surrounding his death.,
As the case moves forward, Dallas Headlines will continue following developments in the investigation, including any decision by the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office on whether to present the case to a grand jury.