HOUSTON — A Houston man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for killing a New Jersey man who was in town on vacation.
Prosecutors called it a "jealous ambush" when James Ray Lane shot and killed Gregory Moore in June 2021.
Moore, who was from New Jersey and on vacation with his friends, went out to multiple clubs and restaurants on the weekend of the shooting. They exchanged numbers with multiple people they met while they were out.
On the night of the shooting, Moore brought a woman back to his Airbnb in the Klein area, but as it turned out, it was Lane's girlfriend.
Lane tracked her phone and drove from southwest Houston up to the rental house on Braewin Court.
When Lane got to the house around 3:10 a.m., he ambushed his girlfriend and Moore, using a flashlight and handgun to attack. He fired nine shots in total. Lane's girlfriend survived the attack but Moore died. Investigators used phone data and witness accounts to identify Lane as the attacker. He was arrested a few days later.
"This was a jealous ambush ̶ he ran up to them with a flashlight and a gun and ended up shooting nine times," Assistant District Attorney Kasie Herring said. "People in Harris County want to know that things are getting safer. I pray to God that the justice we seek in these cases makes this a safer place."
Moore was single at the time of his death but had three children.
Lane, now 24, pleaded guilty to murder on Aug. 17. He went through a pre-sentence investigation for the past two months and his punishment was decided by a judge after a day-long hearing Monday.
"This was a planned and premeditated attack on an unsuspecting visitor to Houston, and there have to be consequences," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "We were ready and willing to go to trial and seek justice in this case when the defendant opted to ask the judge to decide punishment, and that’s his choice."
After Lane was sentenced, Moore's family members and friends gave impact statements.
"They talked about how he drove all the way to Spring from southwest Houston and could have changed his mind anywhere along the way," Assistant District Attorney Rodulfo Martinez said. "He did not show any true remorse or accountability, even after pleading guilty."
Lane will have to serve at least half of his prison sentence before he's eligible for parole.
Here's the update authorities provided at the scene of the shooting: