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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - A Katy man has been sentenced to 50 years behind bars in connection with a deadly 2021 murder at a Houston motel, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced on Thursday.
Derek Maurice Singleton, 25, pleaded guilty to murder on the eve of trial on Friday in the shooting death of 22-year-old Eric Soniat in a car in the parking lot of a motel in the 14800 block of Park Row, around 6 p.m. on April 2, 2021.
Derek Maurice Singleton, 25, (left) and Eric Soniat, 22 (right).
"Unfortunately, we see cases like this far too often in which someone pulls a gun and starts shooting without any regard for the consequences," Ogg said. "We were ready to go trial when this defendant accepted responsibility for what he did, and hopefully seeing justice served in this case will give this young man’s family some closure."
According to a release, Singleton was meeting with Soniat and another man to buy a bag of marijuana when Singleton opened fire and shot both men several times. Soniat was killed. The other man survived and told police what happened.
Singleton was scheduled to go to trial this week when he pleaded guilty in exchange for a sentence of 50 years in prison. He was facing the possibility of life in prison.
According to the terms of the agreement, Singleton cannot appeal the conviction or the sentence. He must serve at least half of the prison sentence before he will be eligible for parole.
"Unfortunately, we see cases like this far too often in which someone pulls a gun and starts shooting without any regard for the consequences," Ogg said. "We were ready to go trial when this defendant accepted responsibility for what he did, and hopefully seeing justice served in this case will give this young man’s family some closure."