Houston gang member sentenced for 2019 killing spree leaving 5 dead
HOUSTON - A documented Houston gang member has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of five people in a series of shootings in 2019.
Harris County District Attorney's Office says 22-year-old Christian Ivan Cavazos pled guilty to three counts of murder for a number of shootings which began on Sept. 6, 2019.
"So many people, so many families will never have peace because of the indiscriminate violence this man inflicted on our community," DIstrict Attorney Ogg said. "We swore an oath to see that justice is done, and in this case justice demanded that this man be sentenced to life in prison."
Cavazos' was riding in a car with other men when he shot into a group of young men in a separate vehicle. The driver, who was wounded, pulled over in a light industrial area north of Jersey Village. Cavazos got out of the car and shot 19-year-old Ryan McGowan, who was sitting in the backseat, killing him.
Weeks later, on Sept. 25, 2019, Cavazos mistakenly believed a purple Dodge Charger belonged to a rival gang member and began following it. The car was actually driven by 65-year-old Ramiro Reyes and his wife, Rosalva Reyes, 63, who were returning home from a hospital where Rosalva’s mother had just died. The couple was killed as they arrived at their home in northwest Houston.
The five victims killed by Christian Ivan Cavazo.
On Dec. 27, 2019, when Cavazos shot into a group filming a music video in north Harris County in a drive-by attack while in the passenger seat of a vehicle. Videographer Gonzalo Andrew Gonzalez, 22, and Jonathan Jimenez, 20, were killed, while seven others were injured, officials say.
Cavazos was initially facing a charge of capital murder before his plea and a judge sentenced him to life in prison after a hearing that revealed the full details of the five killings.
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Four people who knew the victims gave emotional impact statements, wearing buttons that displayed the faces of all five victims.
"Christian Cavazos is a dangerous man who got what he earned, he got what he deserved when he was sentenced to life," said Assistant District Attorney Napoleon Stewart, a prosecutor in the case.
Stewart, a chief in the District Attorney’s Organized Crime Division, prosecuted the case with ADA Garrett Moore.