Houston man sentenced to life in prison for role in 2019 murder
Daniel Leyva, 24, was found guilty of capitol murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A Houston man will serve life in prison for the murder of a man during a robbery.
Daniel Leyva, 24, was found guilty in the 2019 murder of 21-year-old Edward Guerrero.
Prosecutors said Leyva was part of a group that set up a meeting with Guerrero to buy marijuana with the intention of robbing him.
When Guerrero arrived to the planned meeting, the men attempted to rob him.
That's when Guerrero pulled a gun to defend himself and shot Leyva in the upper torso, prosecutors said. Leyva shot back and hit Guerrero in the head.
"Using a gun to steal from someone is armed robbery, and killing the victim during that robbery is capital murder," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "This is gun violence at its absolute worst, and we work every day to get justice for the victims and their families in cases like this."
Leyva was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"It was important that this defendant was held accountable for his actions by the community," Assistant DA Maroun Koutani said. "We appreciate the time and effort of the jurors, who diligently deliberated to reach the appropriate verdict. Thanks to the continued efforts of the Houston Police Department homicide investigators, we were able to obtain justice for the Guerrero family."
Leyva is the third person convicted in connection with the robbery.
Juan Castillo, 23, pleaded guilty in 2022 and 24-year-old Joel Ruiz pleaded guilty in 2023 for their roles in the crime. They were each sentenced to 35 years in prison.