HOUSTON – A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Aug. 31 for shooting a convenience store manager to death during a 2016 robbery, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a news release.
“The community is tired of unabashed gun violence, and when the evidence supports it, they will send a message by sending violent offenders to prison for the rest of their lives, without parole,” Ogg said. “There is absolutely no reason this hard-working store manager had to die and that his family has to live with the grief. It is heartbreaking.”
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Nadonte Pugh, 27, was found guilty by a jury following his two-day capital murder trial.
On March 12, 2016, Pugh tried to rob a convenience store at about 8:10 p.m. in the 8500 block of FM 1960.
He had a gun, and when the cashier saw Pugh, he ran to the back to get the manager, Zia Siddiqui, 51, of Spring. The manager also had a gun, and he fired three shots.
Pugh was shot once in the groin.
The manager was struck four times and died. Pugh then fled from the scene.
Houston Police Department officers arrived at the store and testified during the trial.
A few minutes after the shooting, Pugh went to an emergency room in Humble and received treatment. Hospital employees then called police, but the man left before they realized he committed capital murder.
Pugh was later found in Midland, Texas, arrested, and brought back to Harris County. Harris County Assistant District Attorney Chandler Raine prosecuted the case with Assistant District Attorney Hunter Brown.
During the trial, a store clerk, who was there during the shooting, spoke and identified Pugh. The jury also saw surveillance footage from the store and hospital that captured the suspect’s face.
“We’re thankful for the civilians who came to the courthouse to testify after seven years so that we were able to get justice for the victim and his family,” Raine said. “The evidence of the injury and the video from the hospital was very important. If the victim hadn’t shot the defendant, we might not have solved this case.”