Texas
Texas teen murder suspect blows kiss in court during hearing for shooting of stepfather of girl he stalked
An alleged teen stalker and murder suspect blew kisses inside a Texas courtroom as a judge raised his bond to $2 million for the alleged killing of the stepfather of a 16-year-old girl he had been creeping on.
Christian Martinez pursed his lips towards the gallery of a Houston courtroom during his first court appearance following the fatal shooting of Osvaldo Casas on Aug. 10.
The 17-year-old is accused of gunning down Casas, 37, who had confronted the teen outside his home in the Meadowbrook/Allendale neighborhood, 11 miles southwest of Downtown Houston, according to police.
The husband and father of two went outside just before 12:30 a.m. after being tipped off by a neighbor about a suspicious car on their street.
The family had been on high alert after their car was vandalized the night before, according to KPRC.
Casas was shot multiple times as he confronted the vehicle.
He was left to die outside in the arms of his eight-month pregnant wife, KHOU reported.
Martinez was nabbed by the US Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force on Oct. 17.
He was charged with first-degree murder and booked into the Harris County Jail, police said.
“I know the arrest isn’t going to bring him back, but I’m happy he was arrested,” Casas’ wife Judith Molina told the outlet.
Martinez allegedly had briefly dated Casas’ stepdaughter, but the relationship was ended by the girl after he assaulted and “unlawfully restrained her,” the charges alleged.
A probable cause court judge read Martinez’s charges last week, despite the teen not being in attendance.
“The allegations are that the 17-year-old defendant, briefly dated the, complaining witness is, 16-year-old daughter,” said the judge, according to KHOU. “The daughter stopped seeing this defendant after the defendant assaulted and unlawfully restrained her. The defendant repeatedly called the daughter until she, blocked, the defendant’s, phone number.”
Molina denied that her daughter ever dated Martinez.
“He was just mad that he that she didn’t want to date him. That she wanted to do nothing with him,” Molina said. “So, he was stalking her, stalking our house for days. Which I didn’t know about.”
“I hope he gets what he deserves. Life in prison. He took a life. His life should be for the rest of his life in prison. He shouldn’t be let out,” he said.
The couple’s son was born days after Casa’s funeral.
Casa’s grieving family revealed they were “not at peace,” but has faith in the judge.
“I’m not at peace but I believe the judge is going to do right. … He’s guilty,” Casas’ mother said.
Before Martinez’s off-color gesture to the courtroom, a judge raised his bond from the original $200,000 to $2 million.
Family members of both Martinez and Casas were inside the courtroom.
It wasn’t clear who the air kisses were directed towards.
The staff shake-up continues amid CFP preparation, as Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is reportedly adding another to his staff.
Soon after the news that the Aggies were expecting to hire former Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported that former Rutgers co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Zach Sparber would be added to the staff in some capacity. Sparber is very familiar with new Texas A&M DC Lyle Hemphill, having worked with him at JMU and Duke.
It is an interesting hire, as similar to Travis Williams, Sparber is also coming off a defensive staff that was let go after bottom-of-the-conference defensive performances. However, before joining the staff at Rutgers, he helped James Madison’s team rank 21st nationally in scoring defense as the linebackers coach. While his official role has not yet been announced, his experience with Hemphill should help with continuity heading into next season.
No. 7-seed Texas A&M hosts the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (10-2) in a CFP first-round game at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, at Kyle Field. The game can be viewed on ABC/ESPN.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
The 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes hit the road for College Station for a Saturday afternoon matchup against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The game is scheduled for noon ET (11 a.m. CT) with tickets still available to watch live.
How to get Texas A&M vs. Miami tickets for the best prices: Tickets for the Texas A&M vs. Miami playoff game are available on secondary markets Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and Viagogo.
The lowest prices are as follows (as of Dec. 15):
- Vivid Seats starting at $375
- StubHub starting at $388
- SeatGeek starting at $315
- Viagogo starting at $345
The Aggies own the homefield advantage and are listed as 3.5-point betting favorites to play their way into the second round. Texas A&M won its first 11 straight games of the 2025 season before falling to rival No. 16 Texas (27-17) in its regular-season finale. The Aggies were battle-tested in going 7-1 in a Southeastern Conference that put five teams into the College Football Playoff field. They also join Miami as teams to beat Notre Dame this season, winning a 41-40 shootout back in Week 3.
#10 Miami (10-2) at #7 Texas A&M (11-1)
College Football Playoff 1st round
- When: Saturday, Dec. 20 at noon ET (11 a.m. CT)
- Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
- Tickets: Vivid Seats | StubHub | SeatGeek | Viagogo
- TV channel: ABC/ESPN
- Streaming on: FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV (free trial) | SlingTV (low intro rate)
The Hurricanes’ 27-24 win over then-No. 6 Notre Dame was the best line entry on the team’s résumé as the third-place finisher in the messy Atlantic Coast Conference. Miami rattled off four straight wins to close the season and showed the kind of explosive scoring offense required to stack up with Texas A&M, scoring 34-plus points in each of those four wins. The Canes closed the season with a 38-7 blowout win over then-No. 23 Pitt to strengthen their CFP case.
The 14-year-old wanted in the deadly shooting of a man in Collin County over the weekend is in custody, police said.
Lavon police said Monday night that the teenage boy was taken into custody in Dallas without incident.
Police say the shooting happened Saturday night, just before 9 p.m. on Wellington Drive in Lavon, when an argument broke out between the 14-year-old suspect and a 24-year-old acquaintance.
Police say that the altercation turned deadly. The teen shot and killed the 24-year-old before fleeing the scene.
“A murder is a very rare thing in our city, so it’s shocking,” said J. Michael Jones, the Lavon Chief of Police. “And it’s even more shocking that this suspect is a 14-year-old.”
Community ISD confirmed the suspect is a student at Community Trails Middle School, where district leaders took extra precautions in case he is still in town.
Earlier Monday, Jones urged the suspect and anyone helping him to turn him in, saying, “I will find you. I will investigate you, and I will put you in jail.”
Lavon police thanked the community and several law enforcement agencies for their help with the investigation, including the Collin County District Attorney’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Louisiana State Police, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, the Community Independent School District Police Department, the Lavon Fire Department, and many others.
Detroit family’s home damaged, Christmas gifts lost after fire spreads from vacant house
Beloved 11-Year-Old Bay Area Italian Restaurant Is Closing Its Doors For Good
Utah hosts Los Angeles after overtime win against Dallas
Miami takes on Brooklyn, seeks to end 5-game skid
Boston rebels against Trump immigration policies with an ‘ICE Tea Party’ – The Boston Globe
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Video: Prosecutors Charge Nick Reiner With Murdering His Parents
HHS probes Minnesota’s use of billions in federal social service funds amid fraud concerns: report
Thousands of dinosaur footprints discovered on rock faces in northern Italy
Nick Reiner will be charged with first degree murder in his parents’ killing
DA: Nick Reiner will be charged with first-degree murder in deaths of Rob & Michele Reiner
-
Iowa2 days agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Washington1 week agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa1 week agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
-
Iowa4 days agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoMan shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
-
World1 week ago
Chiefs’ offensive line woes deepen as Wanya Morris exits with knee injury against Texans
-
Maine17 hours agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Technology6 days agoThe Game Awards are losing their luster
