Houston man who killed 16-year-old after she broke up with him gets 75 years in prison

HOUSTON - Houston man Irbin Vargas was sentenced to 75 years in prison this week for the 2018 murder of a teenage girl he ambushed and shot outside her home, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

The 29-year-old was found guilty of killing 16-year-old Lourdes Sandoval, known to friends as "Betty," on Sept. 12, 2018. Prosecutors described Vargas, who was 22 at the time of the murder, as a predator who targeted a teenage girl during their year-long relationship, which she wanted to end after he threatened her life.

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"No one should ever lose their life to domestic violence, and this case is especially tragic because this woman was so young and had so much to live for," Ogg said. "We mourn her loss with her family."

Irbin Vargas (Courtesy of Harris County District Attorney’s Office)

On the night of the murder, Sandoval texted Vargas to end their relationship for good. The teen told family and friends he had previously put a gun to her head, so she wanted a clean break.

Minutes later, the 16-year-old left her Greenspoint-area townhouse to meet a friend waiting outside in a car. As she approached the car, the friend saw Vargas come out of the shadows and shoot her in the head. Vargas left the scene but was later arrested by Houston police.

Lourdes Sandoval (Courtesy of Harris County District Attorney’s Office)

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Vargas was convicted after a five-day trial in November and he chose to have his punishment determined by the judge. He was sentenced on Tuesday to 75 years in prison and must serve at least 30 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Assistant District Attorney Philip White, who is a chief in the Homicide Division of the District Attorney's Office, prosecuted the case with ADA Matthew Magill from the Trial Bureau.