EDITOR’S NOTE: An update to this article appears in our April 18, 2011, online edition. At that time, Jason Frappier was no-billed by a Dallas County grand jury, which determined that Frappier was acting in self-defense in the Feb. 16, 2011, fatal shooting of two drug dealers. A link to that story can be found on our website.
Jason Frappier, who grew up in Lake Highlands, has been charged with capital murder after two men were shot dead in the parking lot of the Burger Street near Mockingbird Station Wednesday night. Police say the shooting was part of a drug deal gone bad.
It wouldn’t be the first time drugs got the former Wildcat into trouble. Jason was arrested in August of 2010 on a drug charge and he’d gone to boot camp rehab instead of graduating with his Class of 2005. Some say things first fell apart for Jason when his father was badly injured in a car accident at the corner of Greenville and Royal and had to be hospitalized for months. Others point to earlier family issues or a simple teen party lifestyle. Whatever the root cause, Jason’s latest round of problems are far-and-away his most serious.
According to police, Jason and Christian Avalos went to Burger Street, about a block from their apartment at the Phoenix, to make a drug transaction about 10 pm. Jason sat in the backseat of a red Jaguar while his friend stood outside as a lookout. Sitting in the front seat were Chad Ryan and Robert Allen. An argument ensued and shots were fired – perhaps from as many as three different guns, according to police.  One man fell dead in the drive-thru lane and one was declared dead after being transported to Baylor Hospital. Arriving police followed a blood trail to Jason’s apartment door, where they arrested him and treated the gunshot to his elbow. His roommate was also arrested.
The judicial process is now in motion for Jason. The crime took place in a busy area, with Kroger’s nearby and Campisi’s across the street. Fifty witnesses have given statements.
Friends in Lake Highlands, who remember Jason as a sweet boy playing SVAA basketball and attending Moss Haven Elementary, are stunned and saddened.