Houston woman sentenced to 30 years for luring man to be attacked by MS-13 gang members with machete, shot to death

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A Houston woman was sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder on Friday after a man was assaulted with a machete by MS-13 gang members and shot in Harris County in 2018.

Karla Jackelin Morales, 24, pleaded guilty in connection to 24-year-old Jose Alfonso Villanueva’s murder, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a news release.

Morales entered this plea before the jury was chosen for her murder trial.

“This defendant jumped bail in 2021 to escape the consequences of her actions, but she was re-arrested and, on the eve of trial this week, pleaded guilty for what she did,” Ogg said. “This was a premeditated and planned out attack and we have now been able to get justice for the victim’s family.”

On July 29, 2018, Morales lured Villanueva to a field in Spring, and five gang member were waiting to murder him. She told the victim, they were going to smoke marijuana for his birthday.

Then when the pair made it to the area, the gang members attacked Villanueva with a machete and shot him when he attempted to run away. The members have been charged for their part in the crime.

The DA’s office said the group was mad at the man because he disrespected them in a rap battle. His body was located a week later.

Morales’ trial was set to begin in 2021, but she jumped bond and took off her ankle monitor to avoid police. She was arrested again nine months later after she was found in Houston.

“This woman knowingly lured an innocent man to be murdered by five MS-13 gang members in the most brutal and depraved manner that you could imagine sending shockwaves and fear throughout the Houston community,” said Robert Kurtz, the Acting Special Agent in Charge with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston. “By working in conjunction with our local law enforcement partners and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, we were able to hold all of the individuals responsible for this horrifying tragedy accountable and hopefully bring some closure to the victim’s family.”

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Houston Police Department also investigated this case. Assistant District Attorney Jason Sanchez, a chief in the DA’s Organized Crime Division, prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Neha Mehtaji.

“This should be a cautionary tale to anyone who thinks they may want to join a gang that it doesn’t matter your age, gender or anything else,” Sanchez said. “We will prosecute you for the crimes you commit.”