HOUSTON — A 32-year-old Houston man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of a 2020 murder.
Robert. E. Chenier, a documented member of the 52 Hoover Crips, was sentenced Friday.
"When a gang member shoots up a house, brutally murders a man and is so confident he will get away with murder that he brags about it, we see exactly how pervasive gun violence is in our community," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "We mourn for the victim’s family and thank the jury for ending this gang member’s reign of terror."
On Nov. 23, 2020, Chenier opened fire on a house on Cartersville Street after getting into an argument with someone.
Shaun Lewis, 32, wasn't connected to the incident at the house on Cartersville.
Lewis and Chenier knew each other and had both grown up in the area. After shooting up the house, Chenier saw Lewis and another man on a rural street.
Chenier approached them and took a pistol from the man who was with Lewis.
When that man ran away, Lewis raised his hands and offered to give Chenier anything he wanted. Instead of robbing him, Chenier shot Lewis.
Wounded, Lewis tried to run away but collapsed in a nearby field.
Chenier walked up to him, and as Lewis begged for his life, shot him in the head. Chenier then took a photo of Lewis' body.
"This was a senseless and callous murder, and the defendant showed that he has no regard for human life," Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Marshall said. "In fact, after the murder, he took a photo of his victim and showed it around the neighborhood like a trophy."
After the shooting, Chenier bragged about what he had done to several people. Houston Police Department investigators figured out what happened and arrested him and charged him with murder.
Chenier's murder trial lasted four days.
