Houston Man Charged With Capital Murder After Fatal Shooting of Ex-Girlfriend and Her Brother

HOUSTON, Texas – A 19-year-old man has been charged with capital murder after authorities say he fatally shot his estranged ex-girlfriend and her brother during a family dispute at a north Harris County trailer park before being arrested hours later.

Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded at approximately 11 a.m. on July 26 to the 210 block of West Canino Road after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire and two people who had been shot.

When deputies and emergency medical personnel arrived, they found 18-year-old Karen Rivera and her 29-year-old brother, Alberto Sidonio, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the driveway of the trailer park. Family members were attempting to help the victims before EMS personnel took over, but both siblings were pronounced dead at the scene.

Homicide detectives interviewed multiple witnesses, including the victims’ mother, and determined the suspect was Rivera’s estranged ex-boyfriend, Angel Javier Rodriguez, 19, who is also the father of her 2-year-old child.

According to investigators, Rodriguez arrived at the residence to pick up the child but did not have a car seat, leading to an argument with Rivera. Authorities said another family member then arrived to pick up the child.

Detectives allege Rodriguez ambushed Rivera and shot her multiple times. When her brother came outside in an apparent attempt to help her, Rodriguez allegedly shot him as well before fleeing the scene.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences took custody of the victims’ bodies. Autopsies were scheduled to determine the official cause and manner of death.

Before investigators completed processing the crime scene, patrol deputies located Rodriguez’s vehicle in the Humble area. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division for questioning.

Rodriguez was subsequently charged with capital murder in the deaths of Rivera and Sidonio. He was booked into the Harris County Jail and is awaiting his first court appearance.

The investigation remains ongoing.