One of Two Brothers Sentenced to Life in Prison for Deadly Crime Spree in Harris County

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Thursday that Alexander Salvador Ordonez, 22, has been sentenced to life in prison following a five-day trial. Ordonez was convicted of murder for the killing of 19-year-old Cameron B. Stevens in a Cypress Station apartment complex on February 6, 2021.

“Connecting online with strangers to buy and sell things at in-person meetups has become such an integral part of our culture that thieves and criminals are using the process to take advantage of innocent people,” Ogg said. “We have to remember to stay vigilant and try to have safeguards in place, even for transactions that come together quickly or happen late at night.”

Stevens, who did not know the Ordonez brothers, was meeting them to buy a handgun. However, the deal went sour, leading to a fatal shooting. As Steven walked away towards his apartment unarmed, the brothers fired at him and hit him once in the head, killing him.

Surveillance footage linked the Ordonez brothers’ white 2012 Chevy Malibu to an armed robbery the day before Stevens’ murder. Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office also learned that a day after the murder, the brothers were involved in another armed robbery outside an auto-parts store.

The charges against Alexander Ordonez for those two aggravated robberies were dismissed after he was convicted of murder. However, the facts in those cases were presented in open court during Ordonez’s punishment phase to give the judge a complete picture of the scope of the crime spree.

Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle emphasized the need for caution during online transactions, suggesting meeting during the day in public areas with company and staying vigilant.

“These two brothers were working together in this scheme to set up innocent people who thought they were going to be buying something or selling something and ended up being robbed at gunpoint,” Sawtelle said. “It’s a scary thing for any citizen of Harris County because these kinds of meetups, whether it’s Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, happen all the time, and the last thing that anybody wants is to be robbed or shot.”

“These shootings were pointless,” he said. “They got what they wanted, and there was no need to shoot anyone.”

Charges of Murder against Kevin Ordonez, 20, are pending, with his trial scheduled for October.