An Arizona man has been handed down two life sentences after pleading guilty to the brutal 2019 murder of a 75-year-old Houston woman, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. Marco Cobos, who was 19 at the time of the crime, entered Etta Nugent's Sharpstown residence seeking help but returned minutes later to carry out the deadly assault, stabbing her over a dozen times, using her shower, doing his laundry, stealing her car, and then checking into a motel.
According to KTRK, Cobos had stolen a truck in Arizona to meet someone in Houston; after that meeting fell through, he used the vehicle as a makeshift home. Cobos approached Nugent's door asking for a favor; she directed him to a neighbor, but he forced entrance upon return. His prolonged attack on Nugent ensued before he took off with her belongings and later returned to the scene in Nugent's car, where police detained him and obtained his confession.
Per the district attorney's office, Cobos pleaded guilty to murder and aggravated robbery instead of going to trial, which resulted in consecutive life terms with eligibility for parole after 60 years. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement obtained by the Houston Chronicle, “This brutal murder was both senseless and premeditated, and this was the right result because we were able to get justice without the family having to go through a painful and traumatic trial." She added, “This killer will now spend decades, and hopefully the rest of his life, in prison.”
Etta Nugent, a secretary at a local Catholic church, was survived by her three children and six grandchildren. Nugent's husband had been moved to a medical facility while Nugent was living alone when the crime occurred, KTRK reported.
Under the plea deal, he will spend at least 60 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. He can't appeal the conviction or the two prison sentences.
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