Houston Woman Pleads Guilty to Brutal Murder of Boyfriend, Receives 22-Year Sentence

Shataraca Denise Pervis, a 50-year-old woman from Houston, pleaded guilty to murder on Friday and was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend, 34-year-old Melvin Maxwell, at a Galleria-area hotel in 2018. The announcement was made by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

The incident occurred on January 4, 2018, at a hotel in the 6200 block of Richmond. Pervis, who had been staying in Maxwell’s hotel room for several days, stabbed him with a steak knife in a violent act of domestic violence.

After committing the crime, Pervis left the hotel during the night and informed two friends that she had just killed someone without providing further details. Maxwell’s decomposing body was discovered in the hotel room in late January, leading to an investigation by the Houston Police Department.

Crime scene investigators from the Houston Forensic Science Center found Maxwell’s empty wallet, rifled through, on top of a blood-soaked bed in the hotel room.

Pervis was charged with murder and arrested in June 2021 after the killing was linked to her. The prosecution was led by Assistant District Attorney Kelly Marshall from the DA’s Domestic Violence Division.

Facing the imminent start of her murder trial, Pervis chose to plead guilty just before jury selection. Assistant District Attorney Marshall described the crime as “callous” and emphasized that justice finally caught up with Pervis after five years.

Pervis is required to serve at least half of her 22-year sentence before becoming eligible for parole. She has no right to appeal the conviction or the imposed sentence.