Man Sentenced To 50 Years For Killing Ex-Girlfriend’s 12-Year-Old Son In Harris County
HOUSTON, TX – A Houston man will spend decades behind bars after agreeing to a plea deal in the killing of a 12-year-old boy inside his family’s apartment.
On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, Terry Bryan Rivera, 29, agreed to serve 50 years in prison for the murder of Carlos Fernandez, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
The shooting happened on March 4, 2024. Investigators said Carlos was asleep in the living room of his family’s apartment when gunshots rang out. The child ran toward a bedroom where his mother and sisters were sleeping, but he was shot and killed in the hallway, just outside the bedroom door.
Carlos’ sisters, Rivera’s own two daughters, were inside the bedroom at the time but were not injured.
Investigators later learned that just minutes before the shooting, Rivera had slashed the tires on the vehicle belonging to Carlos’ mother’s new boyfriend, who was also asleep in the bedroom with the family.
After the shooting, Rivera fled the scene. Seven days later, he was arrested at the Texas-Mexico border while wanted on a capital murder charge. As part of the plea agreement, the capital murder charge was reduced, and Rivera was convicted of murder.
By accepting the plea, Rivera avoided a trial and will serve 50 years in prison for the killing.
