A suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with a double homicide that left a married couple dead inside their Katy-area home earlier this month.
Norman Lee Johnson, 42, has been arrested and charged with capital murder, after being suspected in the shootings of both victims.
Johnson is the biological father of the couple’s adopted juvenile daughter.
FIRST REPORT: Authorities seeking public’s help after man, woman shot to death in Katy-area home
Harris County Sheriff’s Office homicide investigators identified the victims as Christopher Lopez, 52, and his wife, Trinette Lopez, 52, who were found fatally shot inside their home in the 3700 block of Bent Springs Lane on Jan. 12, 2026.
Investigators believe the motive stemmed from ongoing custodial disputes involving the child.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Task Force arrested Johnson in Round Rock, Texas, and he was booked into the Williamson County Jail. He is expected to be transferred back to Harris County.
Sheriff’s officials also confirmed Johnson had a prior criminal case involving the couple.
In Oct. 2024, he was charged with harassment after allegedly threatening to kill Christopher and Trinette Lopez.
According to court records filed for the 2024 harassment charge, Johnson threatened to kill Christopher and another family member after the family member denied his request to see his daughter without requesting through child protective services.
That family member also told authorities that Johnson has a violent criminal history. He also said that officials from a different law enforcement agency had responded to a residence outside of Harris County recently after Johnson assaulted the family member.
After the double-murder, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined Christopher Lopez died from a penetrating gunshot wound to the face, while Trinette Lopez suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and a perforating gunshot wound to her left hand.
Both deaths were ruled homicides and occurred around 5:43 a.m.
Deputies were called to the home shortly after 6 a.m. when one of the couple’s adult children contacted 911 and reported his parents had been shot.
Christopher and Trinette Lopez were found downstairs in separate rooms—one in the main living area and the other near the kitchen—and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials say the couple’s two adult children and a 7-year-old girl were asleep upstairs at the time of the shootings and were not physically harmed.
Investigators previously noted there were no signs of forced entry and no weapon was found at the scene.
The investigation remains ongoing as Johnson awaits court proceedings.