3 men charged in 4-year-old's murder; suspect confesses to involvement

HOUSTON – New details are revealed about how police caught the three men who have been charged in a shooting that killed 4-year-old Ava Castillo and injured her mother and sister.

Philip Battles, Ferrell Dardar and Marco Alton Miller are facing capital murder charges in Ava's death.

“In the process of their investigation, detectives learned that these suspects committed numerous robberies, of a similar kind,” said the prosecutor in court.

Detectives said they received anonymous tips about the case, but also spoke to one of the aggravated robbery victims. Officials said a woman's cellphone was stolen during the crime and a GPS tracker on the phone led to an address in Humble, Texas.

Police said the address was Phillip Battles' home, but the 18-year-old had just been arrested in connection to another with murder case. 

Detectives said they talked to Battles and he admitted to being involved in the deadly robbery of Ava Castillo.

“In a statement he admitted to participation in this robbery as the driver,” the prosecutor said in court. “He also implicated defendants Miller and Dardar. A separate witness also placed Dardar and Miller at the scene.”

The three men did not appear before the judge Friday evening, but charges against them were still read in court.

They are being held without bond and expected to appear in court Monday.

Ava, 4, was killed Nov. 14 when robbers ambushed her family as they were unloading groceries outside their Greenspoint area apartment complex.

Ava's mom, Diana, and sister, Betsy, were also shot, but they survived.

"They just took something from us that wasn't supposed to be taken. She was an angel. A little girl who barely started school," Ava's uncle, Rolando Gomez, said.

It’s been more than two weeks since police began actively searching for the shooters and asking the public for any tips. Detectives have been putting in long hours, working long days and nights to solve the case. 

Gomez said his family is relieved police were able to catch and arrest suspects, but nothing will ever bring Ava back and they will always hurt over the loss. 

"I feel sad. I feel happy because they got them cowards they were supposed to get and that's justice to me," Gomez said.

Battles appeared in court earlier this week in connection to a different murder case.