A 17-year-old boy in Texas, accused of killing the stepfather of a girl he began stalking after she rejected his romantic advances, blew kisses during a court hearing while the victim’s family observed from the gallery.
It remained uncertain at whom the kisses were aimed during the hearing where a judge raised Cristian Gasca Martinez’s bond from $200,000 to $2 million.
Family members of both the victim and the defendant were present. A 37-year-old man named Osvaldo Casas was allegedly killed in August.
Judith Molina, the wife of Casas, expressed that relocating her family might be necessary due to her daughter facing “harassment” from friends of Gasca Martinez.
According to earlier reports from Law&Crime, the Houston Police Department revealed on Friday that detectives have apprehended Gasca Martinez on murder charges. Gasca Martinez is accused of shooting Casas just before 12:30 a.m. on August 10 in the 600 block of Loper Street, located in southeast Houston.
Authorities arrived at the location and discovered Casas with multiple gunshot injuries. Emergency responders declared him deceased at the location.
Authorities reported that Casas engaged with an individual deemed “suspicious” on his street prior to the shooting incident. Additional inquiries revealed that Gasca Martinez had been attempting to engage in a romantic relationship with Casas’ 16-year-old stepdaughter, who expressed her lack of interest, according to a complaint.
Gasca Martinez is reported to have started following the girl. Despite her requests for him to stop, he continued to call the girl, leading her to block his number, as reported in court documents.
He allegedly shared menacing messages on social media, featuring images of himself with a firearm. According to the complaint, Gasca Martinez fired at Casas “in retaliation for being rejected” by the girl.
Authorities apprehended Gasca Martinez on Thursday and transported him to the Harris County Jail, where he is currently held.