HOUSTON A man pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery Wednesday in the fatal home invasion shooting of a Katy woman.
Keaton Cooper is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 7.
Peggy Ariza was shot in front of her daughter on Aug. 23, 2011 at their home located in the 17100 block of Copper Crossing at Hollow Sands. Investigators said Ariza was home with her 17-year-old daughter and another female family friend when men wearing ski masks knocked on, then burst through, the front door.
The 17-year-old began to scream and Ariza, who was on the second floor, ran to the stairs to investigate. That s when one of the men opened fire, hitting the mother once in the chest. Ariza was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Two other men, Hector Mejia and Matthew Wyche, pleaded guility earlier this summerto aggravated robbery, a lesser charge.Both were sentenced to prison. A fourth man, Olen Ware, was convicted of murder back in June and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
