What began as a pre-dawn shooting call at a South Gessner shopping center in April has now led to a capital murder charge for a 17-year-old Houston boy. Authorities say the teen was taken into custody last week and is facing the most serious homicide charge available under Texas law after two other teenagers were fatally shot.
Police: Two teens shot at South Gessner shopping center
According to the Houston Police Department's April 13 news release, officers responding to a call at 5700 South Gessner Road around 4:20 a.m. on April 11 found two males with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition.
"At this time there are no known witnesses or motives," the department said in that update, which noted that homicide detectives had taken over the case and were looking for leads. Separate recent shootings on Gessner Road coverage placed the incident among a series of violent episodes in the corridor.
Arrest and charges
In a May 18 report, MyTexasDaily says 17-year-old Osmany Alexander Padilla Castro was arrested May 14 by members of HPD’s South Gessner Patrol Division Crime Suppression Team and booked into the Harris County Jail. He has been charged with capital murder, and the case is assigned to the 337th Criminal District Court.
The outlet identified the victims as 17-year-old Roldan Andrade Benites, who was pronounced dead at the scene, and 16-year-old Santiago Moreno, who was hospitalized in critical condition and later died on April 15.
What a capital murder charge means
Section 19.03 of the Texas Penal Code lays out what qualifies as capital murder and lists the aggravating circumstances that elevate a killing to a capital felony. A conviction can bring either the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Decisions about whether to pursue the harshest punishment rest with the Harris County District Attorney as the case moves through the district court system.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the April 11 shooting to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS, according to the Houston Police Department. This story will be updated as court filings and official statements are made public.
