Two people have been charged with capital murder in the home invasion that killed a 72-year-old woman early Monday morning on Lockwood Drive in Houston.
Richard Mouton, 34, and Tajuana Thomas, 38, remain in the hospital after suffering injuries during a shootout with the victim, according to police.
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Witnesses told police Thomas had been upset with the victim, according to law enforcement sources, because the victim previously refused to bail her out of jail and the two “argued about it all the time.”
The victim was identified in court records as Linda Martinez.
Houston police got called to the home invasion around 1:50 a.m. on Jan. 26.
RELATED: Woman in her 70s killed during shootout with home invasion suspects in northeast Houston
Law enforcement sources said the suspects entered through an unlocked backdoor of the residence, where Thomas previously lived after being released from jail up until she moved out when upset over the bail issue.
Once inside, they allegedly found Martinez asleep on the couch, sources said and demanded her jewelry while pointing an AR-style rifle at her.
At the scene, police also said the two suspects wore masks.
A shootout followed, according to police, and Martinez shot Mouton in the face and Thomas in the hip using a revolver, a law enforcement source said.
Suspects’ criminal history: Mouton skipped court 4 days before murder
Court records revealed criminal histories for both suspects.
Thomas was on bond for misdemeanor terroristic threat, records show, after in 2022 a victim reported Thomas had been fired from her job then showed up again and allegedly told the victim she was going to “beat his ass,” according to records.
Mouton, a convicted felon, was on parole until 2024, according to court records.
Then in July of 2025, Mouton got arrested for three charges in Harris County: drug possession, felon in possession of a weapon, and evading arrest.
In those cases, he allegedly ran nearly 1,500 feet from a traffic stop while possessing more than 100 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of ecstasy, 11.7 grams of Xanax, 24+ grams of methamphetamine, 3.4 grams of cocaine, and a firearm, according to records.
He had been on bond since about a week after his arrest, up until last week, when court records reveal he didn’t show up.
On Jan. 23, since he missed court, warrants for his arrest were filed, just days before he allegedly killed Martinez during the home invasion on Lockwood Drive.
What’s next
Both suspects remain in the hospital, according to police, with pending future court dates.