Surveillance footage from an Arlington motel helped detectives identify Gregory D. Lewis, police said.
FORT WORTH, Texas — A missing man’s car found at an Arlington motel helped police identify his Taco Casa co-worker as the suspect in a killing that is now charged as capital murder.
The investigation into Thomas King’s disappearance turned on a vehicle, a motel camera and a co-worker who police say later confessed. King, 31, was reported missing after he failed to come home from work April 13 at a Taco Casa on Bridgewood Drive. Within days, detectives found his car, identified Gregory D. Lewis, 34, and discovered King’s body in an open field on Fort Worth’s east side.
The case began as a search for a man who had not returned from a routine shift. King was last seen wearing his Taco Casa uniform after work. His family reported him missing the next day, telling authorities that his failure to come home was unusual. Richardson, his partner, said King had told her he loved her and said he would be back. She said the disappearance did not fit his pattern because he came home after work every time.
Police traced King’s car to the Quality Inn on Interstate 20 in Arlington. The car’s location placed the search outside Fort Worth and gave investigators a fixed point to review. Surveillance footage from the motel showed a person arriving in King’s vehicle shortly after King left his job, police said. Detectives reviewed the video April 15 and later identified the person as Lewis, who had worked with King at the same Taco Casa.
That discovery changed the direction of the investigation. Homicide detectives took over April 16 and arrested Lewis on unrelated charges while they continued to build the case. Police have not released the full video publicly in the reports reviewed, but they said it showed the suspect connected to King’s car after King disappeared. The vehicle became key evidence because police later said Lewis admitted not only killing King but also taking the car and leaving it behind.
Officer Buddy Calzada said police were able to interview Lewis after the arrest. “We were able to interview this individual, and the individual did claim and confess to actually murdering our missing person and leaving his vehicle,” Calzada said. Police said King’s body was found April 17 in an open field on the east side of Fort Worth. Investigators said he had been shot. They have not publicly released a complete account of the exact location of the shooting or every movement after the shift ended.
According to details from the arrest warrant described in reports, Lewis said he got a ride from King after work. The two then drove to a nearby business complex, and King’s body was later found in a wooded area behind the complex. Police have said they believe some sort of confrontation occurred between the men. They have not said whether the confrontation started before the ride, during the drive or after they reached the business area.
Lewis is charged with capital murder in King’s death. He also faces allegations tied to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and a parole violation. Capital murder is the charge listed because police say the killing was connected to the taking of King’s vehicle. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office was expected to make the formal ruling on King’s cause and manner of death as detectives continued to assemble the case file.
Beyond the evidence trail, King’s relatives have described a workplace background that they believe matters. They said King had an intellectual disability and a speech impediment and had been bullied at work. His sister said King mostly kept to himself and may have been seen as easy to target. “I feel like they felt like he was an easy target,” she said. Another sister said the family wanted to know why anyone would kill him.
A fundraiser set up for King’s family said he was kind and trusting and tried to provide for his children. It said he lived with a mental disability but showed love, strength and dedication each day. The fundraiser accused an unnamed person of previously bullying him and taking advantage of his kind nature and limited mental capabilities. Police have not publicly confirmed a final motive, and the exact link between the family’s bullying claims and the criminal case remains part of what has not been fully explained.
Taco Casa said the death involved two employees but happened off company property and outside working hours. The Fort Worth-based company said it did not know of prior issues or conflicts between King and Lewis. It said the case was shocking and profoundly distressing for the organization and said it is committed to fostering a safe, respectful and supportive work environment. The company’s statement did not address the family’s bullying claims in detail.
The investigation has left investigators with several concrete pieces of evidence and several open questions. The concrete pieces include King’s last known work location, the vehicle at the Arlington motel, surveillance footage, Lewis’ alleged confession and the discovery of King’s body. The unanswered questions include the exact motive, the full timeline after King got into the car and whether anyone at work saw or heard anything that could explain the confrontation.
For King’s family, the case is not only about the route of a car or the timing of a confession. Relatives described him as a father of two who worked, came home and cared for his family. Richardson said their children were struggling with the loss. Family members said they were devastated and did not believe King could have expected what happened after leaving work with someone he knew.
Lewis is in custody as the capital murder case proceeds in Tarrant County. Police had not announced a final motive, and the next official steps were expected to include medical examiner findings, prosecutor review and further court proceedings tied to the April 13 disappearance and April 17 discovery.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.