A former Harris County constable deputy, Aaron Grant, has pleaded guilty to murder in a 2023 shooting that killed a motorcyclist on a North Freeway feeder road. He is expected to be sentenced to 35 years in prison.
According to Houston Chronicle, Grant, 39, pleaded guilty in Harris County’s 183rd Criminal District Court to murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and continuous family-violence charges. He is expected to serve 35 years for the murder conviction. In court, victim Jesse Metzger’s mother told Grant and the judge, "Thirty-five years is not a fair trade for the life of my son."
Court and search-warrant records describe what unfolded in January 2023: Metzger, 32, was riding along the North Freeway when he was struck while both he and Grant were traveling on a feeder road, officials said. Metzger managed to reach a Home Depot parking lot before collapsing. As reported by ABC13, investigators first treated the case as a possible road-rage incident, then noted that both Metzger and Grant were members of motorcycle clubs. Grant worked as a Harris County Precinct 4 deputy from 2018 to 2020 and previously served in the U.S. Marines.
Evidence And Additional Charges
Testimony at the hearing and court filings linked Grant to a separate roadway shooting in March 2022. Prosecutors said ballistics showed that rounds from that earlier shooting matched the bullet that killed Metzger. As part of Tuesday’s plea, Grant also admitted to a continuous-violence-against-the-family charge involving his ex-wife and to an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon tied to the 2022 incident. Other counts were dismissed under the deal. Judge Lance Long ordered that the shorter, two-year sentences for the related offenses would run at the same time as the 35-year murder term, making the murder conviction the controlling sentence in the case.
Federal Context: A Wider Biker War
The killing played out against a broader federal push targeting outlaw motorcycle groups in the Houston area. Earlier this year, the Office of Public Affairs unsealed a RICO indictment against members and associates of the Bandidos, accusing them of racketeering, murder and other violent crimes around Houston. Federal prosecutors described a years-long turf battle between the Bandidos and rivals including B*EAST, a feud they say has spilled onto public roads and raised the stakes for everyone sharing the streets.
Legal Implications
By pleading guilty, Grant sidestepped a trial and locked in a fixed prison term. Under Texas law, murder is a first-degree felony that can carry anywhere from five years to life in prison. For the statute defining murder and its penalties, see Justia’s publication of Texas Penal Code § 19.02. The plea agreement dismissed additional counts but imposed concurrent two-year sentences for the family-violence and 2022 aggravated-assault charges, leaving the 35-year murder term as the effective punishment.
The case showed violent rivalries among Houston-area motorcycle clubs. Prosecutors said the sentence removes a dangerous person from the streets. Metzger’s family said in court that no sentence can make up for the loss of their son.
