Shauntel and Ashley Villarreal spent months staying quiet about how their sister died. Now they are speaking publicly for the first time about the death of Brianna Richter, who was killed in June by her estranged husband, Albert Richter, in a murder-suicide, and they say they want answers about what happened and changes that could help other women escape abuse before it is too late.
The sisters described a pattern of continued abuse that included threats, holes punched in walls and intimidation involving a gun, according to KSAT. By April, they say Brianna Richter was frightened and wanted to leave her husband. In the weeks that followed, she moved out of the marital home, filed for divorce and sought a protective order, steps her sisters say reflected how determined she was to build a different life for herself and her children.
Sisters Say They Were Told He Was Being Monitored
Richter's sisters say they believed there were missteps along the way in efforts to protect her, though they declined to discuss specifics while the investigation remained ongoing. They say they had been reassured that Albert Richter was being monitored through GPS and that Brianna would be notified if anything changed. The sisters also believe he may have been able to find her because she kept the same routine in the weeks after she moved out.
That account sits alongside a separate detail the same outlet reported in June: sources told KSAT that Richter was not wearing a GPS monitor at the time of the June 19 shooting. Court records reviewed by the station show Albert Richter was first arrested on a domestic violence charge in May 2025, and Brianna had at one point dropped charges from an earlier incident. Her family says she was financially capable of moving herself and her children, but her sisters want attention paid to women in similar situations who do not have that option.
A Mother Remembered As Hopeful About The Future
Brianna Richter was a mother whose children were central to her life, her sisters say, and they describe her as optimistic and excited about what was ahead before she was killed. They want her legacy to help other women rather than be defined by the violence that took her life. Over the weekend, a group called Brianna's Butterflies walked in her honor as friends and family gathered to remember her and keep her story alive.
The sisters are encouraging women experiencing abuse to tell others what is happening and to surround themselves with people who can help. Domestic-violence expert Marta Pelaez, speaking to KSAT in June, said separation is often the point at which danger escalates rather than recedes. “What in many occasions is the triggering factor is the fact that there is a separation,” Pelaez said.
The Numbers Behind The Pattern
Richter's death adds to a toll that advocates have been tracking across the state. The Texas Council on Family Violence recorded 136 women and 24 men killed by current or former intimate partners or stalkers in 2025, according to a report cited by Texas Border Business, a total just one fewer than the year before. Firearms were used in 69% of those killings, and the report found 32% of offenders had a known history of violence. Those homicides left 128 minor children and 95 adult children without one or both parents statewide.
Bexar County recorded 13 intimate-partner homicide victims in 2025, the fourth-highest county total in the report. Locally, demand for survivor services has been climbing: in the year before an April report from the same station, about 2,700 calls came through the MEDCOM line, and roughly 23% to 25% of those were assessed as high risk. The station also reported that Bexar County STAR specialists began holding consistent trainings with law enforcement in 2025, after which referrals immediately doubled.
Where To Find Help
Family Violence Prevention Services provides wrap-around services, including the Battered Women and Children's Shelter, and can be reached at (210) 733-8810. The Bexar County Family Justice Center, which also offers wrap-around services, can be reached at (210) 631-0100. Survivors in unincorporated Bexar County who are not facing an immediate emergency can fill out an online form to connect with STAR specialists, and anyone in immediate danger should call 911.
