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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - In a plea agreement on Friday, a man from Arizona admitted to the deadly stabbing of a 75-year-old woman in her Sharpstown home, announced by Harris County District Attorney (DA) Kim Ogg.
Marco Cobos, 24, was given two life sentences for the 2019 murder of mother and grandmother, Etta Nugent, a former 25-year secretary at a Houston area Catholic Church.
"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," Ogg said. "This killer will now spend decades, and hopefully the rest of his life, in prison."
According to the Harris County DA Office, Cobos stole a truck in Arizona and drove to Houston in May 2019 to meet someone he allegedly met online. The meeting didn't happen officials say, so he slept in the truck parked in a quiet, Sharpstown neighborhood.
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Despite residents reporting the truck to authorities multiple times, Cobos continued sleeping in the parked truck until May 19, 2019.
Authorities report Cobos knocked on 75-year-old Nugent's door the same day asking for water and to charge his phone. She was alone as her husband was in a medical facility due to his health issues and her children were grown up.
Etta Nugent
Nugent declined Cobos and directed him to another neighbor to ask for help, Ogg says.
Shortly after, Cobos returned, forcibly entered Nugent's home, and began stabbing the elderly woman with a knife he had brought and then began using one of Nugent's kitchen knives. The elderly woman was stabbed at least 13 times over several hours until she died from her injuries.
The Harris County DA's Office then states Cobos did his laundry and took a shower in her home before leaving to buy a burger, which he then brought back to Nugent's home to eat while her body was still in the living room. He ransacked the house, taking some of her belongings, and then stole Nugent's car to drive to a motel, which is where he slept for the night.
Marco Cobos
Nugent's adult son became worried about his mother so he went to her home and found her body. He called Houston police, who arrived at the home to investigate.
The next day, Cobos returned to the home in Nugent's car, so he could move his truck away from the murder scene while police were at the home, officials say.
Houston police detained Cobos who then confessed to the elderly woman's murder and even told officers she pleaded for her life, telling him she was a mother and grandmother with an ailing husband.
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On Friday, Cobos pleaded guilty to the murder and aggravated robbery in exchange for two, stacked life sentences.
"This case is truly horrendous and is the worst possible nightmare for anyone who has an elderly parent living on their own," Assistant District Attorney Lynn Nguyen said. "You don’t want to believe that something like this could happen in our community, but when it does, we do everything possible to seek justice for the victim and their family."
Harris County DA's Office says the plea deal ensures he will spend at least 60 years in prison before he is eligible for parole and he can't appeal the conviction or the sentences.