COLDSPRING, Texas — A man in Texas, who was accused of killing five people in 2023 after a neighbor said he was disturbing a baby by shooting guns in his yard at night, pleaded guilty to murder on Wednesday. He will serve life in prison without the chance of release, according to a prosecutor.
Francisco Oropeza, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to capital murder of multiple people as part of a deal to avoid a possible death sentence, San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon told The Associated Press. Oropeza was given the deal after investigators talked for a long time with the victims’ family members, he mentioned.
U.S. immigration agents said Oropeza was deported four times from 2009 to 2016. Dillon said he will spend his whole life in prison in Texas.
“He cannot be deported.” “Dillon said he is not qualified for anything.” “He will remain in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice until he dies.”
Oropeza pleaded guilty on Wednesday after hearing heartfelt testimonies from the victims’ family members, according to Dillon.
Oropeza’s lawyer, Anthony Osso Sr., did not reply right away to a phone message on Wednesday asking for a response. He had said before that there had been growing tension between Oropeza and his friends for a while.
Police say Oropeza burst into his neighbor’s house on April 28, 2023, after he was told to stop shooting his gun late at night. All five deaths, including a 9-year-old boy, were from Honduras. The baby was not hurt.
The shooting happened in the rural town of Cleveland, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Houston. Police said Oropeza ran away from the area after the killing, prompting a major search. He was caught near Conroe, about 20 miles from where the crime happened.
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