A chainsaw was still running when police arrived on the scene of a grisly murder on Monday in Lewisville.

The decapitated body of Maria Corona, a 44-year-old mother of six, was found in the street near her home in the 1000 block of Shadow Wood Lane. A trail of blood led from the body to her home where a white pickup truck was parked in the driveway.

“On the tailgate were two chainsaws, both of which had blood and tissue matter on them,” states a police search warrant affidavit. “One of the chainsaws was still running upon patrol officer arrival.”

The level of the violence shocked even a police veteran. “Over 20 years in law enforcement and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Lewisville police Capt. Kevin Deaver said.
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He confirmed Tuesday that a chainsaw was used in the murder. “But I can’t positively say it was the cause of death,” he said.

That question may be answered later today when the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office completes its autopsy.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Jose Fernando Corona, the 49-year-old husband of the victim. He remains at large.

After officers found the body, Carla Corona arrived on the scene and identified the victim as her mother.

Carla’s husband, Freddie Arellano, told authorities that Jose Corona had called him while he was picking up his daughter from school. Jose Corona told Arellano that he “had done it, he had killed her and was going to drag her body next door,” according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also said a security camera on the house may have captured the crime.

About 30 protesters, mostly cab drivers, gathered this afternoon in front of Dallas City Hall to demand that criminal charges be filed against two men who shoved a mortally wounded cab driver out of his taxi and drove away.

Bashir Abraham, a 30-year-old Somali immigrant, was shot repeatedly during a drive-by early on the morning of April 19 after picking up Fidel Retana, 25, and Ezequiel Vasquez, 31, at the XTC Cabaret strip club.

Authorities say Jose Luis Covarrubias Jr., 21, opened fire on Abraham's cab with a shotgun, targeting one of Abraham's passengers because the men had argued minutes earlier at the club.

Retana and Vasquez, who were also shot but suffered no life-threatening injuries, left Abraham in the road and drove the cab to a hospital. Police later found Abraham dead in the street.

"You can't do that to a dog," said Mohamoud Farad Egal, an organizer of the protest and a cousin of Abraham's. "If there is no law, we need something."

Walking around the reflecting pool in front of Dallas City Hall, the protesters chanted "Justice now!" They held signs proclaiming, "A cab driver's life is valuable" and "No justice. No peace."
Bashir Abraham

While police officials sympathize with the protesters and Abraham's family, they said that it doesn't appear that the passengers' actions violated the law.

Laws concerning failure to stop and render aid typically apply only to traffic accidents. And even though they took his cab, there was no intent to steal it because they drove it to the hospital after being injured.

"We talked to the DA" on the day of the shooting, said Sgt. Bruce McDonald, a homicide supervisor. "We didn't really see any charge that we can file, and they agreed."

Covarrubias, the shooting suspect, remains at large and is believed to be in Mexico.

Abraham had attended high school in the Minneapolis area before relocating to the Dallas area several years ago. He lived with his father and sister in Irving.

Friends and co-workers say Abraham was a hardworking cab driver who often worked seven days a week for Ambassador Cab. Bright and ambitious, Abraham wanted to go to college but worked to support his family both here and in Somalia.

Representatives from several Islamic groups, as well as civil rights activists, also were on hand for the protest.

"We need justice," said Ahmed Salah, a friend and fellow cab driver for Ambassador Cab. "If they had taken him to the hospital, he might have had a chance to survive."