HOUSTON — A Houston man pleaded guilty to the murder of a transgender woman in the middle of his trial, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.
Oscar Ariel Sierra, 19, was being tried on a capital murder charge but after testimony started, he decided to plead guilty to murder in exchange for a life sentence.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above is from a report before Sierra's conviction.
Sierra admitted he fatally shot Marisela Castro, 39, on July 9, 2022, the DA said. He met her online and lured her to a meeting to rob her.
After they met, Castro was driving the teen around in her sedan. They stopped at a fast food restaurant and then drove to a dark street just south of Herman Brown Park.
Surveillance video from nearby cameras showed that Castro got out of the car while Sierra got out of the passenger side with a gun. He then walked behind her to the middle of the street and shot her in the back of the head, killing her and leaving her body there.
“Quite a horrific, execution-style murder," prosecutor Katie Warren said.
Sierra then got back in the victim’s car and drove away. Police said they found the car about two blocks away. Castro’s phone and purse were missing.
“This wasn’t a case that was solved in the first 48 hours, but rather took the dedication and persistence of Houston Police Department’s homicide detectives, who left no stone unturned,” prosecutor Tiffany Dupree said. “As a result, we were able to successfully prosecute the brutal execution of Marisela Castro, holding the defendant accountable for his horrible actions and ensuring justice for her and her family.”
Sierra was just 17 when he killed Castro. He'll be nearly 50 before he's eligible for parole.
It's the justice that Castro's family had prayed for.
“His punishment is just. I believe that God will give him justice," sister Keidi Castro said.
She said her sister was one of 10 siblings and she began living her life as a female at an early age.
“It was a bit of struggle with our family because of our older siblings," she told us.
She never imagined her sister's life would end in violence at the hands of a teenager.
“This was a cold-blooded murder that the defendant planned out, set up and went through with,” Ogg said. “Shooting a defenseless person is cowardly and despicable, and we hope this defendant spends the rest of his life behind bars.”