Two teens from the Houston area were sentenced to 25 years in prison this week for killing their friend back in 2021 when the three of them got into a fight.
Leroy Lopez, 19, and Christopher Paz, 19, pleaded guilty to the killing of Abraham Mata, 17, on April 4, 2021. Lopez and Paz, 17 at the time of the murder, were charged as adults.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg stated, “This was a brutal and senseless murder carried out by two young men who will now spend decades behind bars. There are consequences for every action, and in this case, justice was served.”
The incident occurred when the three teenagers were at a trailer home in the 400 block of East Wallisville Road in Houston. A fight broke out among the teens, who later admitted they were “highly intoxicated.”
Lopez picked up Mata and threw him to the trailer floor so hard he was knocked unconscious. Lopez and Paz then dragged Mata out of the trailer and shot him twice as he lay on the ground outside.
After shooting him, Lopez and Paz took Mata’s body out to a wooded area behind a church. They stabbed him several more times and left his body.
Witness reports led to the boys being detained. The next day, Paz told investigators where Mata’s body was and described what had occurred.
Lopez and Paz pleaded guilty within two days of each other, and each received a 25-year sentence.