LEAGUE CITY, Texas – A Galveston County jury has sentenced a Guatemalan man to 35 years in prison after finding him guilty of murdering his roommate and partner during a brutal stabbing in League City last year.
Rigoberto Argueta-Sontay was convicted Thursday in connection with the July 2025 killing of Alberto Guzman Brito at a home in the 2800 block of Brookmist Lane, according to the Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
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League City police officers responded to reports of a stabbing and found Guzman Brito suffering from multiple stab wounds to his torso and face, a severe neck wound and a large abdominal injury. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
Authorities said Argueta-Sontay was standing near the victim when officers arrived and was immediately detained.
Investigators interviewed eight men who lived in the home. According to prosecutors, several reported hearing screams coming from the bedroom shared by Argueta-Sontay and Guzman Brito. Two witnesses told police they saw Argueta-Sontay stabbing the victim.
Police said Argueta-Sontay later admitted to cutting Guzman Brito’s throat during an interview with investigators.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony from first responders who described the scene and the victim’s final moments. Prosecutors also presented crime scene photographs and autopsy evidence.
Dr. Erin Barnhart with the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office testified that Guzman Brito suffered multiple life-threatening injuries, including a punctured lung, a severe abdominal wound and a neck injury that severed his trachea and major blood vessels.
Jurors also viewed a recorded interview in which prosecutors said Argueta-Sontay gave multiple conflicting accounts of what happened.
Taking the stand in his own defense, Argueta-Sontay claimed he acted in self-defense after Guzman Brito allegedly attacked him with a knife. However, the jury rejected that argument and returned a guilty verdict after about an hour of deliberations.
Following the conviction, defense attorneys asked jurors to consider a “sudden passion” finding that could have reduced the punishment range. Prosecutors argued the nature of the killing and Argueta-Sontay’s inconsistent statements warranted a lengthy prison sentence.
Jurors ultimately sentenced Argueta-Sontay to 35 years in prison.
The Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office thanked the jury, the League City Police Department and the Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office for their work on the case.