A Houston man was sentenced last week to 45 years in prison for murdering a teenage prostitute in 2022, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This young woman, who had her whole life ahead of her, was brutally murdered for no reason by a man who then tried to cover it all up,” Ogg said. “And then he selfishly put everyone in his apartment complex at risk by starting a fire that could have killed others instead of taking responsibility for his acts.”

Henry David Cossette, 29, was convicted of murder during a two-day bench trial and sentenced by a judge late Wednesday for strangling 18-year-old Sara Ann Goodwin, of Spring, on Feb. 6, 2022.

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A Houston man who killed the driver of a parking-lot sweeping truck during an armed robbery in 2022 was sentenced to life in prison this week, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This was a premeditated and cold-blooded murder in which the defendant stalked a completely innocent husband and father who was just doing his job,” Ogg said. “It showed a truly callous disregard for human life, and even though we cannot bring back the victim, at least we have ensured that the defendant will spend decades behind bars.”

Ethan Caleb Thomas, 22, pleaded guilty to murder in exchange for a life sentence for killing 50-year-old Jose Canales about 1 a.m. on Feb. 11, 2022.

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A Houston man was sentenced to 35 years in prison this week for fatally shooting a friend in 2022, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This was a senseless murder that not only left a son without a father, but left an entire family without a beloved family member,” Ogg said. “Gun violence like this is so insidious because it doesn’t just hurt one family, it damages the fabric of our entire community.”

Angelo Britton was convicted and sentenced Monday by a Harris County jury after an eight-day trial for shooting Edward Gray, a 43-year-old father, on May 12, 2022.

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Tony Earls Jr., a 33-year-old from Houston, was indicted Tuesday for murder in the fatal shooting of 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez in 2022, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“We have a duty to see that justice is done, and that meant asking a new grand jury to look at new evidence,” Ogg said. “We have done everything possible to figure out exactly what happened that day to ensure that we get justice.”

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A 40-year-old man was sentenced to 60 years in prison for the deaths of a Houston father and his 2-year-old son in 2022, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“The family in this case lost a loving father and a little boy who was the most innocent of victims,” Ogg said. “We were ready to go to trial to seek justice and hold this killer accountable, and now he will be behind bars for decades and hopefully the rest of his life.”

Bolanle Olayinka Fadairo pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts of murder in the deaths of 38-year-old Michael Essien and his son, a toddler named Micah.

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A Houston man who killed his ex-wife and her new boyfriend in 2020 over a custody dispute pleaded guilty to two counts of murder Wednesday in exchange for two life sentences, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Domestic violence can have many different forms, and we see over and over again that it can easily escalate to murder, which why we take all allegations of abuse so seriously,” Ogg said. “In this case, a mom who was just trying to start a new life and her new boyfriend both lost their lives because a man with a gun got angry and started shooting.”

Leonardo Llanes, 51, pleaded guilty to shooting 27-year-old Iluminada Marrerro Perdoma and her boyfriend, 32-year-old Ernesto Carlos Aguilar Vasquez, at their apartment in southwest Houston on Nov. 25, 2020.

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A Houston man was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole late Monday for killing his 8-year-old stepson in 2020, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Our children are our most vulnerable victims,” Ogg said. “And even though we can’t bring back little Kendrick Lee, at least we can ensure that his killer never again breathes free air.”

Brian Ward Coulter, 34, was found guilty of capital murder by a judge after a five-day bench trial that began last week. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his wife’s 8-year-old son, Kendrick Lee, at their west Houston apartment.

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A Dallas man was sentenced late Friday to 63 years in prison after being convicted of murder for shooting a father of two at a west Houston bowling alley in 2022, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“We know that people are going to have arguments, they are going to have fights, but it is never appropriate to use a gun to settle an argument,” Ogg said. “The victim’s family lost a beloved family member and two little girls lost their father, and the right result in this case is that the killer spends decades in prison.”

Dionate Desmond Banks, 31, killed Gregory Shead, a 24-year-old father of two daughters, after an altercation between two groups of people outside a bowling alley on Bunker Hill just south of the Katy Freeway on Aug. 14, 2022.

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A serial rapist who assaulted six women between 2020 and 2022 was sentenced to 50 years in prison this week, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This defendant made plans and followed through with those plans to violate and assault numerous victims,” Ogg said. “This was not a one-time crime, and we are proud that a Harris County jury saw the evidence and understood that this man should not be allowed on the street.”

Erique Howard, 28, agreed to a 50-year prison sentence after he was convicted in a six-day trial of raping a woman on May 5, 2022. Howard approached the woman while she was filling up her gas tank, forcing her to drive to a secluded area where he sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.

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