HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS — A homeowner was shot to death in a home invasion just before noon on Friday, and one of four men believed to be responsible has been arrested and charged with the murder. Harris County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call in the 2400 block of Orange Blossom in the Highlands area.
They say that four men forced their way into a two-story home where a mother and her three children were inside. One of the children was on a live FaceTime call when the break-in happened, and the child’s father rushed home when learning of the incident.
Before he arrived, the suspects demanded money and ransacked the home when no one inside complied with their demands. When he arrived, he was shot multiple times as he entered the home and died at the scene.
The foursome fled in a blue Chevy pickup truck. Deputies gave chase and located the wrecked truck about nine miles from the crime scene. All four then fled the crash on foot, and deputies apprehended 18-year-old Ruben Garcia. He has been charged with capital murder. The other three suspects managed to escape and are being sought by authorities. At the time of the incident, the suspects were wearing masks, gloves, body armor and were in possession of “high-powered guns”.
The killing of a person while committing or attempting to commit aggravated burglary or robbery is considered capital murder in Texas and is punishable by death. The “law of parties” also allows the death penalty for accomplices, even if they did not realize that someone may die. A Republican sponsored bill is currently in the Texas House of Representatives to change the “law of parties” to apply to only accomplices who “had intent”. If all the members of this group were indeed armed with high-powered guns when they forced their way into the home, it would appear that they all indeed had intent.
