A man had been living rent-free in a Texas home for months, but when he was finally asked to pay, he allegedly shot and killed one of his roommates and threatened others.
Angel Gomez Montanez, 21, was wanted by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for the alleged murder of Christopher Rodriguez Lara, 18. After at least two days on the run, he was apprehended, charged with murder, and taken to the Harris County Jail.
On June 12, shortly after 10 p.m., Harris County deputies arrived at the 17000 block of Butte Creek Road and discovered Rodriguez Lara suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency personnel arrived shortly after and pronounced him dead.
According to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, detectives investigating the crime discovered that the shooting was the result of an argument over rent payment.
According to reports, the suspect was not just a random roommate, but a man with familial ties to the victim.
“The only thing we told him was that we needed the money for rent,” Zuleyka Ortiz told KTRK, adding that Gomez Montanez, her children’s older brother, was offered a spot on their apartment’s couch for three months before being asked to assist. “I told him it couldn’t be happening. “We have bills to pay.”
After being asked to pay rent days before the shooting, Gomez Montanez gathered his belongings and left the apartment, according to Ortiz. When he returned, he claimed he needed to speak with Rodriguez Lara, whom he then allegedly shot outside his front door.
Gomez Montanez also attempted to shoot the victim’s brother, according to the Charlotte Observer. A 9-year-old witness reported hearing the suspect say, “I’m going to kill all of them,” before fleeing.
Ortiz remembered her brother-in-law, Rodriguez Lara, as “the happiness in this home.” “My children adored him.”
