The cold spring A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder charges and will serve a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the killings of five people near Houston in 2023 after a neighbor complained that he was keeping a newborn awake by discharging a rifle in his yard late at night, according to the prosecution.
Todd Dillon, the district attorney for San Jacinto County, told The Associated Press that Francisco Oropeza, a Mexican national, entered a guilty plea to capital murder of numerous victims in order to avoid a potential death sentence. Prosecutors spoke with victims’ relatives for a long time before offering Oropeza the deal, he added.
Between 2009 and 2016, Oropeza was deported four times, according to U.S. immigration officials. However, Dillon stated that he will be incarcerated in Texas for the remainder of his life.
“Deporting him is not an option. Nothing is available to him,” Dillon declared. “He will stay in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice until he breathes his last breath.”
After hearing tearful testimonies from the victims’ relatives, Oropeza entered the pleas on Wednesday, according to Dillon.
A phone call on Wednesday asking for comment was not immediately answered by Anthony Osso Sr., Oropeza’s lawyer. He had previously stated that Oropeza and his neighbors had been at odds for a long time.
On April 28, 2023, Oropeza allegedly stormed into his neighbor’s home after being told to stop shooting late at night, according to the police.A 9-year-old child was among the five Honduran victims. There was no danger to the infant.
About 45 miles north of Houston, in the little rural hamlet of Cleveland, the shooting took place. Following the gunshot, Oropeza reportedly left the area, prompting a thorough search, according to the police. He was subsequently taken into custody around 20 miles from the location of the crime, close to Conroe.
