The Harris County District Attorney’s Office, along with the Houston Police Department, will be distributing free gun safes and locks on Saturday, Dec. 16, at Crime Stoppers Houston, 3001 Main St., Houston 77002, as part of an initiative to raise awareness on responsible gun ownership. The event will include presentations on the importance of safe firearm storage and a tutorial on how to use the gun safes and locks. Presentations will be held from 11 a.m. to noon and 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

“With the holiday season in full swing, kids are home from school or visiting friends and family, and that means ensuring firearm safety is paramount,” Ogg said. “Amidst the festive season and celebratory visits, securing our firearms is crucial. We must ensure that our weapons are safely stored not just in our homes but anywhere our children may be, including cars.”

Ogg noted that locking up our firearms is a simple yet powerful step in keeping our community safe, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will do everything possible to raise awareness and end gun violence.

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Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg joined with Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Houston Police Chief Troy Finner today to announce a joint effort to combat a traditional holiday uptick in injuries and fatalities involving pedestrians and bicyclists.

Houston has developed a reputation for being a dangerous place for pedestrians and bicyclists, a reputation that Ogg and her colleagues in law enforcement want to end. Since October alone, there have been more than 30 fatal crashes involving motor vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists.

New state laws allow motorists who kill or injure pedestrians or cyclists in a crosswalk to be charged with a state jail felony.

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A fugitive charged with murder in a 1995 shooting in Houston has been extradited from Mexico, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“The Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI worked hand-in-hand to find, detain and extradite this accused killer,” Ogg said. “And now we can continue our work in the courts to get justice for the victim and her family.”

Jose Luis Rios, 47, was one of two men who fled the country after they opened fire on a group of people in a Channelview park in a shooting that wounded one woman and killed another.

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A habitual offender from Houston was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being convicted of forcing a 15-year-old girl into prostitution in 2019, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“The youth in our community are vulnerable and when someone exploits them, like in this case, we have prosecutors who are dedicated to bringing these offenders to justice,” Ogg said. “We work closely with law enforcement and the families of victims to ensure that we collect all of the evidence we need, especially data and digital communications, so we can ensure that justice is done.”

Raven Ryon Lovings Jr., 33, was arrested in Humble in October 2019 by special agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety after they located the girl, who had been missing for a month.

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A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison late Thursday after being convicted of murder for killing a stranger in Independence Heights in 2021, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This is tragic not just for the family who lost a loved one, but for the entire community that he threatened,” Ogg said. “This man put so many people in danger, including first responders, that the appropriate result is that he spends the rest of his life in prison.”

Andra Foster, 46, was convicted of murder for shooting 28-year-old Guadalupe Martinez near a convenience store in the 8400 block of North Main about 2 p.m. on January 25, 2021.

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An Arizona man pleaded guilty on Friday to fatally stabbing a 75-year-old woman in her Sharpstown home and was sentenced to two life sentences, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This brutal murder was both senseless and premeditated, and this was the right result because we were able to get justice without the family having to go through a painful and traumatic trial,” Ogg said. “This killer will now spend decades, and hopefully the rest of his life, in prison.”

Marco Cobos, 24, stole a truck in Arizona and drove to Houston in May of 2019 to meet with someone he had apparently met online. However, when that meeting did not happen, Cobos began sleeping in his truck parked in a quiet neighborhood in Sharpstown.

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Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced today that her office would grant a local group $269,000 to quadruple its staff of forensic sexual assault interviewers to ensure a less invasive and less intimidating experience for crime victims.

Ogg joined with experts in the field of interviewing sexual assault victims to explain the process of “adult forensic interviewing.” Forensic interviewing is a process in which highly trained experts meet with sexual assault victims to get the information necessary to identify and prosecute their attackers without adding to the fear and trauma inherent in a sexual assault. Adult forensic interviewers coordinate with law enforcement to interview victims in a safer, neutral and less intimidating environment than a police station or hospital interview room.

As a result, assault victims often share more information in greater detail than they might in a more aggressive law-enforcement interview.

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A Houston man was sentenced to 50 years in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty to murder for killing his cellmate in the Harris County Jail in 2021, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This is an awful tragedy and we mourn for the family’s loss of their loved one,” Ogg said. “This defendant took responsibility for what he did and although nothing will ever bring the victim back, a 50-year-prison sentence is a just result.”

Michael Ownby, 27, agreed to the punishment a day after his murder trial began with jury selection on Monday. He pleaded guilty to fatally beating 19-year-old Fred Harris in the jail on October 29, 2021. Harris was taken to the hospital and died two days later.

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A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing a 37-year-old father during an armed robbery outside of a theater complex near Spring Branch in 2021, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Gun violence continues to tear apart our community because criminals like this man specifically intend to rob, hurt and kill others,” Ogg said. “Our job is to seek justice, and jurors agreed that this killer should never be on the street again.”

Nicholas Dwayne Thomas, 26, was convicted of capital murder by a Harris County jury late Friday and automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting 37-year-old Miguel Vasquez on April 4, 2021.

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