Man sentenced 99 years for stabbing stranger 18 times at Arlington gas station

A 58-year-old has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for the July 2021 stabbing death of a man at an Arlington gas station.

A jury found Ricky Ensley guilty of murder and handed down his sentence on Friday — the day the man he killed would’ve celebrated his 62nd birthday, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells noted on X.

“We are grateful for the work of the Arlington Police Department on this case and for continually keeping our community safe,” Sorrells said.

Ensley originally told police he was nowhere near RaceTrac in the 3300 block of E. Division Street when Roberto Lopez was killed. But according to his arrest warrant affidavit, surveillance video shows Ensley walking away from Lopez’s vehicle at the same time Lopez is seen exiting his white Honda, covered in blood.

After learning he’d been caught on camera, Ensley changed his story and said he got into Lopez’s car “to listen to music with him,” the affidavit states. Ensley admitted to police he’d never seen Lopez before and didn’t know his name.

Ensley was arrested on Aug. 3, 2021, and indicted for murder in October of that year, according to court records. His first trial ended in a mistrial last year.

🚨 More top stories from our newsroom:

→ ‘Huge win’ for Fort Worth ISD parents worried about kids’ grades

→ Arlington nuns block Vatican-appointed rep from their monastery

→ Look out, Costco! A rival warehouse retailer is eyeing Fort Worth.

[Get our breaking news alerts.]