Homicides up year-to-date in Houston, officials say

HOUSTON - As we close 2021, homicides in Houston are up year-to-date. The Houston Police Department released their unofficial murder count Thursday morning. 

As it stands there have been 473 homicides this year. That's up 18% compared to last year, which was at 400. Overall, the number of homicides have increased over the past three years. 

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"They drove around two or three times, saw my son asleep in his jeep," said Marnit Hinton, whose son was killed. "They could have driven off, they didn’t."

Hinton knows the pain of losing a loved one by homicide, her son 35-year-old Christopher Mena, was murdered in 2020 and his killer is still out there. 

Hinton tells FOX 26, even though she does not have full mobility of her legs, she tries to get out every day to hand out flyers. She says she has a mother’s instinct and believes there are several people who know who did it.

"I got a good intuition. My intuition is telling me we are going to find the person who killed my son," said Hinton. 

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That knowledge alone gives her strength to move forward. She tells us, she has hope that someone will speak up. 

"They should speak up because who knows it could be their family one night or one day," said Hinton. 

Hinton has now thrown herself into trying to find the killer of her son and relates to the hundreds of families who’ve lost a loved one by homicide. 

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"So many families are hurting because of individuals like this coward who murdered my child," said Hinton. 

"It kills the inside knowing that someone took a life that they didn’t even give."

If you know any information about a homicide in Houston or the greater Houston area, you can leave an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.