A man charged in the 2024 murder of a 12-year-old boy has pleaded guilty and accepted a 50-year prison sentence.
Terry Bryan Rivera, 29, was accused of fatally shooting Carlos Fernandez during a violent incident at a Cloverleaf-area apartment complex on March 4, 2024.
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Under a plea agreement, Rivera pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of murder and will serve 50 years in prison.
Although Rivera faced the possibility of life in prison if convicted, he was not eligible for the death penalty under Texas law because the victim was 12 years old.
State law in Texas only automatically allows capital punishment in cases involving the murder of a child 10 years old or younger, following legislation approved by the Texas Senate in a 28–2 vote.
Cases involving older children require other aggravating factors for capital punishment to be considered.
“Welcome to the world of logic and criminal justice. The two often don’t meet,” Crime Stoppers of Houston’s Andy Kahan said in an interview with KPRC 2 in 2024.
READ MORE: Bond set at $2 million for man accused of killing 12-year-old Carlos Fernandez
Deputies were called to the apartment complex after reports of gunfire.
Investigators said Rivera fired multiple rounds into a residence, striking Carlos, who was later pronounced dead. Authorities said the boy was attempting to protect his younger sisters when he was shot.
Homicide investigators identified Rivera as the suspect and determined he had previously been in a dating relationship with Carlos’s mother. The two shared children together, according to authorities.
Rivera fled the scene and refused to surrender, prompting a multi-day manhunt. During the investigation, deputies recovered a gray pickup truck believed to have been used in the shooting.
Rivera’s mother, Alva Cornejo, was later arrested and charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution, accused of helping her son evade law enforcement.
Rivera was captured on March 11, 2024, at an entry point along the U.S.–Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas.
Investigators believe he was attempting to flee the country.
His bond was set at $2 million following his arrest.