An Humble teen who killed his mother in 2022 and then put her body in the trunk of the family car to flee Houston pleaded guilty to murder, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Friday morning.
As part of his plea deal, Tyler Roenz, 19, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his mother's murder, Michelle Roenz, 49, according to the DA’s Office.
“This is an awful tragedy for this family,” Ogg said. “It was important that this defendant took responsibility for what he did, and now he will spend decades in prison for his actions.”
According to investigators, Roenz killed his mother while the two were at home on the morning of Oct. 13, 2022. He then put her body in the trunk of the family car, a black Mazda, and drove north.
A family member who arrived at the house after Roenz left suspected foul play and called the Harris County Sheriff’s Office about the mother and son being missing with the car.
Using license-plate readers, law enforcement tracked Roenz as he drove through Oklahoma and Kansas. A day after the murder, he was arrested in Nebraska by a state highway patrol trooper who spotted the car.
A medical examiner in Nebraska determined that Michelle Roenz died from blunt-force trauma to her head and strangulation.
The DA’s Office said Roenz also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in exchange for a sentence of 20 years. The sentences will run concurrently. Two other felonies were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Roenz must serve at least half of the prison sentence before he is eligible for parole. He cannot appeal the convictions or the prison sentences.