2002 East End murders

Murder of three female in Houston, Texas December 2025 In 2002, a crime spree involving the murders of two women and one teenage girl occurred in the East End area of Houston, Texas.Sallee, Rad Dale Lezon http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Man-gets-death-in-East-End-killing-1656604.php Man gets death in East End killing Houston Chronicle 2004-05-22 2017-05-23 - Abbreviated version, titled: "Honduran man gets death in Houston slaying", published in the Plainview Daily Herald The three perpetrators were two adult men and one teenage boy: Edgardo Rafael Cubas Matamoroshttp://www.latribuna.hn/2014/05/12/unos-15-dias-de-vida-le-quedan-a-hondureno-condenado-a-muerte/ Unos 15 días de vida le quedan a hondureño condenado a muerte La Tribuna 2014-05-12 El hondureño viajó en calidad de mojado desde la colonia San Miguel en Tegucigalpa en el año 2000,[...] 2017-08-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20180927050623/http://www.latribuna.hn/2014/05/12/unos-15-dias-de-vida-le-quedan-a-hondureno-condenado-a-muerte/ 2018-09-27 dead (born February 7, 1979),"Cubas, Edgardo Rafael." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on September 26, 2026. a Honduran citizen;"Citizenship of Inmates on Death Row." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on September 26, 2026. Walter Alexander Sorto (born August 10, 1977),"Sorto, Walter Alexander." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on September 26, 2026. a Salvadoran citizen; and Eduardo Navarro, a 15-year-old boy at the time of the crimes.Teachey, Lisa http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Teen-linked-to-East-End-slayings-indicted-2101501.php Teen linked to East End slayings indicted Houston Chronicle 2003-02-18 2017-05-23 All three victims were shot to death. The first victim was sophomore high-school student Esmeralda Alvarado. The other two victims were waitresses, 24-year old Roxana Aracelie Capulin and 38-year old Maria Moreno Rangel. Capulin was Salvadoran in descent. Crimes One victim, 15-year old Esmeralda Alvarado, was a 10th grade (sophomore) student at Lamar High School. Alvarado, a Hispanic girl, resided in the East End. On January 18, 2002, she disappeared after leaving her boyfriend's house.Hegstrom, Edward http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Mother-suspects-victim-knew-her-killer-2072053.php Mother suspects victim knew her killer Houston Chronicle 2002-01-28 2017-05-23 Alvarado was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by the three perpetrators;http://www.laprensa.hn/honduras/tegucigalpa/708901-98/hondure%C3%B1o-se-salva-de-la-pena-de-muerte-en-texas-estados-unidos Hondureño se salva de la pena de muerte en Texas, Estados Unidos La Prensa (Honduras) 2014-05-13 2017-05-23 Edgardo fue condenado a muerte el 7 de junio de 2004 después de declararse culpable del asesinato de la hispana Esmeralda Alvarado, una joven quinceañera que fue secuestrada, violada y asesinada por Cubas y dos acompañantes más (Walter Alexander Sorto Eduardo Navarro). she was shot in the head. Her body was placed in a field, in an industrial zone on the block of 18000 Market Street.Tilghman, Andrew http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Details-of-slaying-come-out-in-court-1659386.php Details of slaying come out in court Houston Chronicle 2004-05-04 2017-05-23 Her body was discovered on Tuesday January 22, 2002. The other murder victims, 24-year old Roxana Aracelie Capulin and 38-year old Maria Moreno Rangel, were waitresses, employed at the El Mirador restaurant, an East End establishment acquired by Capulin's family in 1994. Capulin's family had immigrated from El Salvador.O'Hare, Peggy Roma Khanna http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/6-weeks-later-leads-few-in-case-of-slain-2063136.php 6 weeks later, leads few in case of slain waitresses Houston Chronicle 2002-07-12 2017-05-24 On May 31, 2002, the two women disappeared and on July 1, their corpses were found in Capulin's vehicle.Lezon, Dale Peggy O'Hare http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1545646 Emotional families see East End suspects in court Houston Chronicle 2002-08-23 2017-05-24 bot: unknown https://web.archive.org/web/20020824155934/http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/front/1545646 2002-08-24 They had been shot to death and had their eyes and mouths covered with tape. Perpetrators May 2017 Cubas, an illegal immigrant,Ura, Alexa https://www.texastribune.org/2016/02/21/twelve-texas-death-row-inmates-were-undocumented/ Twelve Texas Death Row Inmates Were Undocumented Texas Tribune 2016-02-21 2017-05-24 originated from the San Miguel neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras and worked at a shopping center in the Comayagüela area.Mendez, Marilyn http://www.laprensa.hn/especiales/381919-273/llevo-ocho-a%C3%B1os-pensando-en-la-muerte "Llevo ocho años pensando en la muerte" La Prensa (Honduras) 2013-09-03 2017-05-23 “Vivía en la colonia San Miguel. Desde muy joven trabajé en un centro comercial en Comayagüela. ¿De dónde es usted?”, me pregunta. “Vivo en Tegucigalpa, ¿te acordás de Tegucigalpa?”, le pregunto para evitar que pierda el hilo de la conversación[...] 2017-05-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20170523042129/http://www.laprensa.hn/especiales/381919-273/llevo-ocho-a%C3%B1os-pensando-en-la-muerte dead He left his hometown in 2000. Cubas had a common law wife from Houston, and his father was also resident in Houston. Cubas supported himself by cleaning offices and installing insulation. He did not previously have a criminal record. Sorto, also an illegal immigrant, had been convicted of unlawfully carrying a weapon in 1999 and for committing aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He received a 10-day jail sentence for the former, and for the latter, he received a sentence of probation for ten years in December 2000. Sorto was married and had children. The teenage boy was enrolled in Daniel Ortiz Jr. Middle School as an 8th grader before his arrest. Trial and punishment thumb|The adult perpetrators are housed in the Polunsky Unit Sorto entered a police station in an attempt to claim a reward for solving the crimes. He confessed to committing crimes after his arrest. On the day of Sorto's arrest, the teenage boy was arrested at his residence. Cubas was arrested while on the job at a construction site in Tomball, Texas. Gilberto Villarreal, one of Cubas's lawyers, stated that in addition to Alvarado, Cubas also confessed to killing Capulin. Prosecutors sought the death penalty for Sorto and Cubas. Navarro was under 18 years of age at the time of the crimes and therefore was ineligible for the death penalty. Navarro served as the getaway driver during the deaths of Capulin and Rangel. He was to be tried as an adult. In 2004, Navarro pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery in a plea agreement and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/teen-gets-13-years-in-02-rape-slayings-1969304.php Teen gets 13 years in '02 rape-slayings Chron In November 2003, Sorto was sentenced to death for the murders of Capulin and Rangel. Frances "Poppy" Northcutt and Villarreal were Cubas's defense attorneys. During his trial, seven of Cubas's relatives traveled to Houston to provide testimony; they were residents of Honduras. Cubas was convicted of the capital murder of Alvarado on May 10, 2004. He was sentenced to death on May 22, 2004, after the jury deliberated for two and one-half hours. Sorto and Cubas are both housed in the death row section of Polunsky Unit in West Livingston.https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/death_row/facts.html Death Row Facts Texas Department of Criminal Justice 2026-09-26 Cubas's execution was originally scheduled for January 16, 2014, but the execution date was rescinded.http://www.laprensa.hn/migrantes/hondurenosenestadosunidos/707098-98/suspenden-ejecuci%C3%B3n-del-hondure%C3%B1o-edgardo-cubas-en-estados-unidos Suspenden ejecución del hondureño Edgardo Cubas en Estados Unidos La Prensa (Honduras) 2014-05-19 2017-05-23 References External links Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas. Walter Alexander SORTO, Appellant v. The STATE of Texas. No. AP-74836. Decided: October 05, 2005 - At FindLaw McVicker, Steve http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Defense-seeks-new-trial-for-one-East-End-killer-1580428.php Defense seeks new trial for one East End killer Houston Chronicle 2005-12-27 Mendez, Marilyn http://www.laprensa.hn/especiales/381922-273/as%C3%AD-cubrieron-los-medios-los-cr%C3%ADmenes-de-los-hondure%C3%B1os Así cubrieron los medios los crímenes de los hondureños La Prensa 2013-09-03 es 2017-08-18 2017-08-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20170818061523/http://www.laprensa.hn/especiales/381922-273/as%C3%AD-cubrieron-los-medios-los-cr%C3%ADmenes-de-los-hondure%C3%B1os dead Category:2002 in Houston Category:2002 murders in the United States Category:Crimes in Houston Category:Female murder victims in the United States Category:Incidents of violence against girls in the United States Category:January 2002 crimes in the United States Category:May 2002 crimes in the United States Category:Serial murders in the United States Category:Violence against women in Texas Category:Murdered American students Category:Deaths by firearm in Texas Category:Killings by illegal immigrants in the United States