Darrian Johnson was sentenced to life in prison for killing Terrell officer Jacob Candanoza. His father keeps their Cedar Hill roller rink as a living memorial.
CEDAR HILL, Texas — The disco ball still spins. The strobe lights still flash. Music still fills the air at David Candanoza’s roller rink in Cedar Hill — a place that lights up your eyes the moment you walk in.
Photos of a young Jacob Candanoza line the walls. Memories hang in the air.
“It means everything to me,” David said. “I love the rink.”
Jacob grew up here — a constant presence on these floors, in these hallways. “He was here every day,” his father said.
On Dec. 28, 2024, Jacob Candanoza — a 28-year-old Terrell police officer, a husband and father — was shot and killed during a traffic stop. He was just five months into the job.
The loss, David said, hit like something no one saw coming.
“It was just a shock, just a devastating shock to everyone, that this tragedy happened.”
Nearly a year and a half later, Darrian Johnson pleaded guilty. The Kaufman County District Attorney’s Office, in a written statement, said the plea agreement spared Jacob’s loved ones the burden of a lengthy trial.
“With the imposition of a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, the defendant has been held fully accountable for this senseless act of violence,” the Office said.
David Candanoza came face to face with his son’s killer in court.
“I don’t even think you realize what you’ve done,” David told him. “I don’t think you do. You know, Jacob, he was really one of the good ones that you took from us.”
Then came the sentence: life in prison without the possibility of parole.
David let Cedar Hill know through the rink’s marquee — the same sign that announces open skate and birthday parties now spelled out what happened to the man who took his son.
“I hope he has a long time to think about it,” David said.
Jacob’s law enforcement family gathered for a large funeral and candlelight vigil, a show of how deeply he is still missed — how many lives he had touched in so short a time on the job.
The tributes kept coming after that. Patches, memorabilia, keepsakes — enough to fill a display case at the place Jacob loved most.
David said he has no plans to leave. Ever.
“Oh no, no, I’ll do this forever,” he said. “You know, the longer I’m here, the longer this box will stay up here. I ain’t never gonna sell.”