Galveston Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Fatal Road Rage Attack on Bicyclist

64-year-old Roy Nieto Gonzales of Galveston has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of one bicyclist and 25 years in prison for the assault of another, stemming from a road rage incident over a $5 debt. Visiting Judge Leslie Yates handed down the sentence on March 28th.

The incident occurred on September 21, 2022, when Galveston police responded to reports of an auto-pedestrian collision near 32nd Street and Avenue R1⁄2. They found Cody Compian unresponsive in a ditch and Jennifer Cooper suffering from abrasions. An investigation led to the arrest and indictment of Gonzales for murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Gonzales pleaded guilty to both charges on Monday, March 24, 2025. During the punishment hearing, prosecutors presented testimony detailing an argument between Gonzales and Compian over $5 that Gonzales owed. The altercation escalated with Gonzales punching Compian. As Compian and Cooper rode away on their bicycles, Gonzales pursued them in his truck, running a stop sign and hitting both. An eyewitness reported hearing Gonzales say Compian “[expletive deleted] deserved it” before leaving the scene.

Investigators also uncovered surveillance footage showing Gonzales returning to his apartment and inflicting superficial wounds on himself with a knife, later claiming to investigators that Compian had tried to stab him. Medical testimony revealed that Compian suffered a severely fractured skull and a severed spine, leading to his death shortly after reaching the hospital.

Prosecutors argued that Gonzales’s extensive criminal history, including five prior felony and four prior misdemeanor convictions, demonstrated a pattern of violence. They also highlighted Gonzales’s attempt to falsely accuse the deceased victim of aggravated assault. Due to his prior felonies, the minimum sentence for each charge was 25 years. Judge Yates ultimately sentenced Gonzales to 35 years for the murder of Cody Compian and 25 years for the aggravated assault of Jennifer Cooper.

The Galveston County Criminal District Attorney commended the Galveston Police Department for their thorough investigation in this case.