Humble Teen Sentenced to 40 Years for Murdering Mother

A Humble, Texas, teenager who killed his mother in 2022 and placed her body in the trunk of the family car has pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced this week.

“This is an awful tragedy for this family,” Ogg said. “It was important that this defendant took responsibility for what he did, and now he will spend decades in prison for his actions.”

Tyler Roenz, 19, killed his mother, 49-year-old Michelle Roenz, at their home on the morning of October 13, 2022. He then put her body in the trunk of the family car, a black Mazda, and drove north. A family member who arrived at the house after Roenz left suspected foul play and alerted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office about the missing mother and son.

Law enforcement tracked Roenz using license-plate readers as he drove through Oklahoma and Kansas. He was arrested in Nebraska the day after the murder by a state highway patrol trooper who spotted the car.

A Nebraska medical examiner determined that Michelle Roenz died from blunt-force trauma to the head and strangulation.

Roenz also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and received a 20-year sentence to run concurrently with the murder sentence. Two other felonies were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Roenz must serve at least half of his prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole and cannot appeal the convictions or the sentences.