Court records have revealed new details about the man accused of murdering a couple in their Katy-area home during an alleged ongoing child custody dispute.
Norman Lee Johnson, 42, has been charged with capital murder in Harris County.
He was arrested Jan. 14 in Round Rock, Texas.
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New Details on the Investigation
When investigators arrived at the scene on the morning of Jan. 12, they found the bodies of Christopher and Trinette Lopez inside the couple’s Katy home.
Christopher was found lying just inside the home’s entrance, records show. He had a gunshot wound through his nose. Trinette was found seated on the kitchen floor with two gunshot wounds to the head.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video from near the Katy home. According to court documents, the footage captured a blue Nissan SUV passing in front of the residence and parking along a nearby curb.
At 3:49 a.m., a subject wearing a light-colored jacket, dark pants and light-colored shoes was seen exiting the vehicle, walking up the Lopezes’ driveway and standing between two cars parked there.
The subject was seen standing in the driveway for more than an hour, records show.
At 5:25 a.m., Christopher was recorded exiting the front door and walking toward the driveway. The suspect then rushed toward him, and Christopher ran back toward the front door, documents say.
A loud commotion could be heard on the surveillance recording, including the distinct sound of a single handgun shot, records show. Seconds later, two additional suspected gunshots were heard.
Roughly four seconds after the final two shots, the suspect is allegedly seen exiting through the front door, running back to the SUV and driving away.
Data obtained from the Harris County Toll Road Authority further supported the prosecution’s timeline, showing the suspect’s SUV’s EZ Tag crossing various checkpoints along the route to and from the Katy home around the time of the crime, documents allege.
During the investigation, officials also spoke with relatives and others who knew the family. According to documents, the relatives confirmed the couple had been experiencing ongoing issues with Johnson regarding their adoption of Johnson’s biological 7-year-old daughter. Relatives also said Johnson had made multiple threats against the family.
Another family member identified Johnson as the person seen in the surveillance footage, records allege. The family member said they recognized Johnson by his “walk, stride and stance,” adding they were “100 percent certain” of his identity.
That same family member also said they were told Johnson allegedly contacted another relative through Facebook Messenger, demanding to know where his daughter was and suggesting the couple’s adult daughter had “kidnapped her.”
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Johnson Speaks to Investigators
Investigators met with Johnson at the Williamson County Jail following his arrest, records say.
After agreeing to speak with authorities, Johnson said he was in Round Rock all weekend, including during the timeframe of the crime. He also said he drove his wife’s blue Nissan SUV.
When detectives presented Johnson with footage of the SUV at the scene, he was unable to explain why the vehicle would be there, records said.
Investigators also spoke with Johnson’s wife, who attempted to corroborate his claim that he was home all weekend, according to documents. She conceded she could not confirm he was at their apartment between 11:30 p.m. Jan. 11 and 7:54 a.m. Jan. 12, after she went to bed. She said she encountered him in the apartment’s living room at 7:54 a.m.
Court records indicate Johnson has not yet been transported to Harris County, and a date for his first court appearance had not been set at the time of publication.