Houston man fled to Honduras after murdering friend after argument
HOUSTON - A 26-year-old Houston man was sentenced to prison after he killed his friend in a shooting.
Christopher Joseph Cruz pleaded guilty to murder after shooting his friend Raymond James Lindgren, a father of two, in 2018 and was sentenced to 50 years in prison, said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
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"This was a premeditated murder, and the defendant thought he could lie his way out of any responsibility," Ogg said. "Now he will spend decades in prison for the decisions he made."
According to court documents, on Jan. 24, 2018, Lindgren was working on a car outside his apartment complex north of Bissonnet in the Braeburn area of southwest Houston with another man.
Christopher Joseph Cruz (Photo Courtesy of Harris County District Attorney's Office)
A witness testified saying Cruz and Lindgren were arguing on the phone, but there are no details on what it was about. Cruz drove to Lindgren's apartment and opened fire when he arrived, shooting several times at Lindgren and the other man, officials say.
Lindgren died from the gunshot wounds and the other man was wounded.
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The man got into his own truck and drove away, but Cruz shot out his windows trying to kill him as well, documents say.
Raymond James Lindgren (Photo Courtesy of Harris County District Attorney's Office)
Officials say Cruz drove out of the apartment complex and then fled to Honduras for a year. After staying in the foreign country, he turned himself into authorities and was deported back to the U.S.
Cruz said in court he killed Lindgren in a sudden passion over their previous argument.
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State District Judge Frank Aguilar disagreed with the claim and sentenced Cruz to 50 years in prison. He must serve at least half of the sentence before he can be eligible for parole.
"If this defendant had one more bullet, he would have killed the second man as well, and then it would have been a double murder," Assistant District Attorney Alycia Harvey said. "His actions that day were serious, and his sentence reflects how serious it was."