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.
J.J. Spaun is now a two-time winner of the Valero Texas Open.
The 2025 U.S. Open champion made an eagle on the par-4 17th hole to move to 17 under, good enough for a one-shot win. He also won the Texas Open at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course in 2022.
With the win, he takes home $1.764 million and heads into the Masters with plenty of momentum.
Here’s the breakdown of how much money each PGA Tour player earned from a $9.8 million purse at the Valero Texas Open.
Valero Texas Open 2026 prize money payouts
| Position | Player | Score | Earnings |
| 1 | J.J. Spaun | -17 | $1,764,000 |
| T2 | Matt Wallace | -16 | $741,533 |
| T2 | Michael Kim | -16 | $741,533 |
| T2 | Robert MacIntyre | -16 | $741,533 |
| T5 | Andrew Putnam | -15 | $378,525 |
| T5 | Ludvig Aberg | -15 | $378,525 |
| 7 | Kevin Yu | -14 | $330,750 |
| T8 | Chandler Phillips | -13 | $296,450 |
| T8 | Ryo Hisatsune | -13 | $296,450 |
| T10 | Si Woo Kim | -11 | $237,650 |
| T10 | Tommy Fleetwood | -11 | $237,650 |
| T10 | Austin Eckroat | -11 | $237,650 |
| T10 | Kristoffer Reitan | -11 | $237,650 |
| T14 | Andrew Novak | -10 | $159,250 |
| T14 | John Parry | -10 | $159,250 |
| T14 | Sudarshan Yellamaraju | -10 | $159,250 |
| T14 | Sami Valimaki | -10 | $159,250 |
| T14 | Eric Cole | -10 | $159,250 |
| T14 | Davis Thompson | -10 | $159,250 |
| T14 | Alex Smalley | -10 | $159,250 |
| T21 | J.T. Poston | -9 | $95,550 |
| T21 | S.H. Kim | -9 | $95,550 |
| T21 | Hideki Matsuyama | -9 | $95,550 |
| T21 | Maverick McNealy | -9 | $95,550 |
| T21 | Bud Cauley | -9 | $95,550 |
| T21 | Marco Penge | -9 | $95,550 |
| T21 | Sam Ryder | -9 | $95,550 |
| T28 | Nick Taylor | -8 | $71,540 |
| T28 | Zach Bauchou | -8 | $71,540 |
| T30 | Paul Waring | -7 | $60,025 |
| T30 | Mac Meissner | -7 | $60,025 |
| T30 | A.J. Ewart | -7 | $60,025 |
| T30 | Doug Ghim | -7 | $60,025 |
| T30 | Alex Noren | -7 | $60,025 |
| T30 | Kevin Roy | -7 | $60,025 |
| T36 | Billy Horschel | -6 | $48,673 |
| T36 | Austin Smotherman | -6 | $48,673 |
| T36 | Chris Kirk | -6 | $48,673 |
| T39 | Rico Hoey | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Matt McCarty | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Brandt Snedeker | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Brian Harman | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Taylor Moore | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Chad Ramey | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Kevin Streelman | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Adam Schenk | -5 | $35,809 |
| T39 | Adam Svensson | -5 | $35,809 |
| T49 | Christo Lamprecht | -4 | $24,676 |
| T49 | Beau Hossler | -4 | $24,676 |
| T49 | Adrien Dumont de Chassart | -4 | $24,676 |
| T49 | Thorbjorn Olesen | -4 | $24,676 |
| T49 | Tony Finau | -4 | $24,676 |
| T54 | Bronson Burgoon | -3 | $22,834 |
| T54 | Vince Whaley | -3 | $22,834 |
| T54 | Gordon Sargent | -3 | $22,834 |
| T54 | Steven Fisk | -3 | $22,834 |
| T54 | Hank Lebioda | -3 | $22,834 |
| T59 | David Ford | -2 | $22,050 |
| T59 | Erik van Rooyen | -2 | $22,050 |
| T59 | Stephan Jaeger | -2 | $22,050 |
| 62 | Takumi Kanaya | -1 | $21,658 |
| T63 | Peter Malnati | E | $21,364 |
| T63 | Jordan Spieth | E | $21,364 |
| T65 | Mark Hubbard | 1 | $20,972 |
| T65 | Jeffrey Kang | 1 | $20,972 |
| T67 | Danny Walker | 2 | $20,482 |
| T67 | Will Zalatoris | 2 | $20,482 |
| T67 | Joe Highsmith | 2 | $20,482 |
| 70 | Luke Clanton | 3 | $20,090 |
EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — Epilepsy patients in El Paso will now be able to access the highest level of specialized care without leaving the region after Texas Tech Health El Paso and its academic hospital partner, University Medical Center of El Paso, earned a top national certification.
The National Association of Epilepsy Centers certified the joint program as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center on Friday, April 3. A Level 4 Epilepsy Center represents the highest level of care for patients with epilepsy, offering the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options, including complex surgical interventions. The designation is the first of its kind for the Borderplex.
Sushma Reddy Yerram, M.D., a neurologist with Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso and an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the Foster School of Medicine, shared that this certification means avoiding long-distance travel for their patients.
“With this designation, our epilepsy patients can receive the most advanced medical and surgical care close to home—eliminating the need to travel elsewhere,” Yerram said.
Before the certification, patients from El Paso and their families had to travel to Albuquerque, Phoenix, Dallas, Austin or San Antonio to receive level 4 of epilepsy care. Staying in El Paso means patients can remain close to their support systems of family and friends while receiving advanced care.
Texas Tech Health El Paso President Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A., shared his pride in the efforts involved.
“This milestone reflects an extraordinary collaborative effort, and I’m incredibly proud of the team whose dedication made this historic achievement possible,” Lange said.
For more information on Texas Tech Health El Paso epilepsy services, visit ttuhscep.edu.
RECOMMENDED: Astroscale partners with UTEP, planning 16 engineering jobs over five years
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