A Houston man was sentenced late Friday to 35 years in prison for shooting an accused shoplifter in the back at a Family Dollar Store in the 4500 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. on Easter Sunday in 2022, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Gun violence in Harris County is out of control because of situations like this in which someone thinks they can take a life because they are mad,” Ogg said. “The victim in this case had a family and was loved, and he should still be with us today.”

Antonio Batres, 23, was convicted of murder by a Harris County jury in a five-day trial for shooting 49-year-old Troy Odom on Sunday, April 17, 2022. After the verdict, Batres asked that his punishment be determined by the judge, who handed down a 35-year sentence.

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An unlicensed Spring Valley chiropractor was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday for molesting children almost a decade ago, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Our children are the most vulnerable victims in our community, and when they are hurt or abused, especially by someone they should be able to trust, it is our duty to seek justice for them,” Ogg said. “Thanks to a law passed by legislature, convicted child molesters who abuse young children must spend at least 25 years in prison, day for day.”

Stuart Fraser White, a 66-year-old man who was working as a chiropractor but was not licensed in Texas, was sentenced on Tuesday by a judge after a Harris County jury found White guilty of super aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of six during a 14-day jury trial that ended in December.

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A Houston man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted by a jury of capital murder for brutally killing a woman, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This was not just a vicious and cruel murder, it was a premeditated and planned-out capital murder,” Ogg said. “The victim was tied up, with a garbage bag over her head, and then beaten with a hammer, stomped on and stabbed until she was dead.”

David Spates, 61, was convicted Monday of capital murder for the death of 28-year-old Kayla Lary on June 24, 2020.

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A 39-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in prison after being convicted of murder for fatally shooting his wife at their Spring apartment in 2021, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Unfortunately, when we have domestic violence and gun violence, it is often a deadly combination,” Ogg said. “This is why we take all allegations of abuse or domestic violence so seriously.”

Christopher Edward Anderson was convicted of murder for shooting 44-year-old Tonya Davis Anderson, a mother of three, on July 20, 2021.

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A 50-year-old Houston woman pleaded guilty Friday to murder and was sentenced to 22 years in prison for fatally stabbing her boyfriend at a Galleria-area hotel in 2018, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Domestic violence can take many different forms, and this was a violent murder,” Ogg said. “We mourn for the victim and his family  ̶  this murder did not have to happen.”

Shataraca Denise Pervis pleaded guilty to murder for killing 34-year-old Melvin Maxwell at a hotel in the 6200 block of Richmond on January 4, 2018.

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A Houston man who killed three people and robbed two others during a week-long crime spree in north Houston in 2018 was sentenced Tuesday to five life sentences and $20,000 in fines, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This was a series of horrible and violent crimes, and we were preparing to seek the death penalty,” Ogg said. “This plea agreement ensures that Jose Rodriguez will never again breathe free air and can never appeal these convictions or prison sentences.”

Jose Gilberto Rodriguez, 51, pleaded guilty to three counts of capital murder and two counts of aggravated robbery for a crime spree that claimed three lives in July 2018. Rodriguez was a convicted sex offender who was free on parole at the time and cut off his ankle monitor to escape detection.

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A financial administrator who embezzled more than $1 million from the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Prosecuting white-collar crime like this is an important priority because stealing from small businesses and nonprofits doesn’t just hurt the organization, it hurts the people those organizations are trying to help,” Ogg said. “The evidence our Public Corruption Division uncovered was so overwhelming that this defendant really had no choice but to take responsibility.”

Jamie Huffar, 47, pleaded guilty Friday to two first-degree felonies, including theft and forgery, for stealing over $1 million from the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce between November 2017 and November 2022.

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The Harris County District Attorney's Office, in collaboration with the Houston Police Department, is set to distribute free gun safes and locks on Dec. 16. The event, taking place at Crime Stoppers Houston, aims to promote responsible gun ownership and raise awareness about firearm safety.

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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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