A Roseville couple accused of murder and torture in the death of a 7-year-old girl, who was found with injuries Monday at the couple’s home, made their first appearance Wednesday in Placer Superior Court.

Along with the murder charge, Retuquel Dupree, 27, and Jessica Savangsy, 26, have both been charged with two counts of torture. The victims listed in the torture charges are the 7-year-old who died and her 5-year-old sister, who also was found with injuries at the couple’s home in the 200 block of Oahu Court in Roseville.

The two girls found with injuries at the Roseville home were Savangsy’s daughters. Judge Steven Howell said the murder and torture charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred from June 1 through Monday, when the girls were found injured.

The 7-year-old girl is identified as “A.S.” in the filed criminal complaint, and her little sister is identified as “A.S.H.”

Dupree and Savangsy stood behind protective glass in the courtroom during the 10-minute hearing Wednesday afternoon. Dupree, wearing an orange jail inmate uniform, and Savangsy, wearing a dark green protective vest, did not enter a plea.

The defense attorneys for the Roseville couple asked the judge to postpone the arraignment. Howell granted the request and scheduled Dupree and Savangsy to return to court Jan. 5 for their arraignment.

Placer County Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Miller, who didn’t object to the postponement, asked the judge to approve protective orders for the children found at the couple’s home, including Dupree’s two daughters.

Howell granted the prosecutor’s request, ordering the defendants to stay 1,000 yards away from the children and not try to contact them. The judge also ordered Dupree and Savangsy to remain in custody at the Placer County Jail without bail.

Savangsy only spoke briefly during the hearing to tell the judge that she heard his instructions for the protective orders. Dupree nodded to signal he heard the judge’s instructions.

Girls found injured at Roseville home

About 7:30 a.m. Monday, officers were called to the couple’s home in the Fiddyment Farm neighborhood off North Harden Parkway and Holt Parkway.

Medics initially were called to the Oahu Court home where an adult resident reported the 7-year-old girl was unresponsive. Officers arrived and found the girl inside the home, and it appeared she had injuries, said Sgt. Nick Gaines, a Roseville police spokesperson.

Gaines said the girl was taken to a hospital, where she died.

Officers searched the home and found the 5-year-old girl in a bedroom. She also had injuries. Gaines said the 5-year-old was taken to a hospital for treatment. He said the girl, as of Monday night, was listed in stable condition.

Two other children, who were Dupree’s daughters, were asleep inside the house and were not injured. On Tuesday morning, Gaines said the girls were placed in the care of Child Protective Services.

Law enforcement officials have not released any further details about the homicide investigation. Court records show that the couple were already facing criminal charges on Monday when Savangsy’s daughters were found injured.

Gun and theft charges

Dupree and Savangsy were initially arrested on felony charges of grand theft and criminal conspiracy for alleged incidents on Oct. 6 at the Westfield Galleria mall in Roseville.

Dupree, a former Citrus Heights police officer, faced an additional misdemeanor charge of possessing a loaded gun in a public place. Dupree and Savangsy were jailed, then released after they each posted a $30,000 bail bond.

The day after the Oct. 6 arrests, Sierra College officials placed Dupree on administrative leave. He had worked as a community safety officer since April 10, 2024, at the college campus in Rocklin. On Monday night, a Sierra College spokesperson told The Sacramento Bee that campus officials could not disclose any further details about Dupree’s administrative leave because it was a personnel matter.

On Nov. 13, the District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint against the couple, formally charging Savangsy with four counts of misdemeanor petty theft and Dupree with misdemeanor gun possession. The felony charges the couple initially faced were gone.

The criminal complaint alleges Savangsy stole items from Lush cosmetics, Oakley, Sports Fever and GameStop stores at the Galleria. At a Nov. 17 arraignment hearing, Dupree and Savangsy pleaded not guilty to those charges. The judge ordered them to stay away from the mall while free on bail and awaiting prosecution. That criminal case is still pending.

Fired from Citrus Heights police

On March 20, 2024, Dupree filed a civil lawsuit against the Citrus Heights Police Department. Dupree alleged in the lawsuit that he was wrongfully fired from his job as an officer. He had only been on the job a few months.

Dupree said his former fiancee and the mother of his two daughters filed a false report in July 2021 with the Elk Grove Police Department that claimed the former Natomas High and Yuba College football athlete was physical with her. Dupree alleges in the lawsuit that his former fiancee “made false allegations because she was upset that she and (he) were no longer in a relationship, and she was afraid that (he) was going to get custody of their daughters.”

The lawsuit against Citrus Heights police is still pending, and the civil case is scheduled to return for a settlement conference next year in Sacramento Superior Court.

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