Cypress Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Killing High School Friend in Late-Night Shooting

A Cypress-area man who killed a high school friend in a late-night shooting was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Friday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“There was absolutely no reason for this cold-blooded murder, so we know this man is a danger to the community,” Ogg said. “In fact, after he was freed on bond for murder, he continued his criminal ways and was rearrested for carrying a gun.”

James Michael Sotelo, 21, was sentenced by a judge to 40 years in prison for the murder of Corey Thompson, a friend from high school who was spending the night at the Sotelo family home on March 20, 2021. At the time of the shooting, Sotelo was an 18-year-old high school dropout and the victim was 17 years old.

Sotelo fired a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at least 13 times as his friend was apparently trying to go to bed about 3 a.m. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded.

Investigators found that Thompson was hit at least 11 times, several in the back. At least one bullet also went through the bedroom wall and hit Sotelo’s brother in the face as he slept. The brother survived the shooting, and Sotelo was also convicted of deadly conduct for shooting him.

Assistant District Attorney Kyle Tucker prosecuted the case in a six-day trial in November. A Harris County jury convicted Sotelo, who opted to have his punishment determined by the judge after a pre-sentence investigation. During a hearing on Friday, eight months after the jury conviction, the judge sentenced Sotelo to 40 years in prison for the murder and two years for the deadly conduct. Those sentences will run concurrently.

“According to the defendant, he wasn’t intoxicated or under the influence of any drugs, which makes deliberately pulling the trigger 13 times that much worse,” Tucker said. “We asked the judge for a sentence of at least 50 years because this defendant doesn’t care about what he did, he did not have any remorse for the victim and there weren’t any mitigating factors.”

Sotelo must serve at least half of the prison sentence before he will be eligible for parole.