Southwest
Texas mom who fatally shot teenager breaking in through daughter’s window won’t be charged
A Texas mom who fatally shot a 14-year-old boy who was breaking into her 8-year-old daughter’s window last December found out this week she won’t be charged.
“I feel great that they were able to see it through my eyes,” Aleah Wallace told FOX 4.
She said she had worried her case would be “drug out, or I would be away from my kids or, you know, things like that.”
A grand jury in Tarrant County this week chose to no-bill Wallace, meaning they didn’t find enough evidence to charge her with a crime over the shooting.
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Aleah Wallace said she shot the intruder — who she didn’t know was a 14-year-old — to protect her daughters. (FOX 4)
Wallace said she and her kids are still in therapy over the incident.
“They go to counseling once a week, so it’s still a little tough for them, but other than that, they’re okay,” she said of her four daughters.
But she said she still feels for the family of Devin Baker, 14, who lost their son when he climbed in her window.
“I want to offer my condolences to his family,” she told FOX 4.
Wallace shot through the window of her daughter’s room as the suspect was trying to get in. (FOX 4)
Wallace previously defended her actions to FOX 4, while facing eviction for allegedly violating the apartment’s rules that guns aren’t allowed in government-subsidized housing.
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“It’s just me and my four daughters that stay there,” she told the news station in January. “I just was protecting my daughters. I’m devastated that he was 14. I hate that. I literally do. And I’m so sorry. But at that point, I had to think about my babies. I didn’t know he was 14 when he was on the other side of that window. All I knew was that somebody could come in and hurt me or my kids. That’s it.”
Baker’s mother previously said he had snuck out of her home in the middle of the night without her knowledge before the shooting.
Wallace and her daughter have since moved. (FOX 4)
Wallace had been the victim of repeated attempted burglaries in the weeks leading up to the shooting, and she called 911 each time, police confirmed last year.
Her eviction threat was dropped after a lawyer took up her case pro bono, and she has also been supported by Republican state Rep. Carrie Isaac.
“I want to say thank you so much, we are eternally grateful,” Wallace said of the support she received.
Wallace said she and her daughters have since moved from the apartment.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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