HOUSTON – Houston police have charged 18-year-old Jefferson Velasquez with murder in a Midtown shooting, and he was already in the Harris County Jail facing a separate murder charge from a house party in East Harris County.
Records show both deadly shootings happened under similar circumstances involving large gatherings, and according to records, Velasquez has a pattern of allegedly robbing people of their chains at large parties.
Velasquez is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning on the new murder charge.
The first killing: A teen shot at a crowded house party
The first shooting happened Aug. 30, 2025, at a party of about 200 people on Waldine Street in East Harris County, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
Deputies say 17-year-old Angel Garcia was murdered after Velasquez and others approached him — investigators described it as a possibly targeted act. Many of the witnesses were underage and left before deputies could interview them, which stretched the investigation out over several months.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrested Velasquez in June for Garcia’s death.
The second killing: A fight spills outside a Midtown nightclub
While Velasquez was free, he is also accused of fatally shooting 27-year-old Noah Ramirez.
That shooting happened in late April outside the Diosa Nightclub in Midtown, where Houston police say a fight inside led to the shooting. Two other people were also hurt.
Ramirez’s father spoke with KPRC 2 News by phone. He said his son was not a troublemaker and had goals for his life, including going back to college, getting married, and having children.
“I just want justice for him,” Jesus Ramirez said. “I just don’t understand why they did what they did. It’s just painful and something I’ll never know or understand, I just want the person responsible to pay for what they did.”
What’s in Velasquez’s record
Velasquez is in jail with bonds totaling $800,000. In addition to the two murder charges, he is also facing unrelated aggravated robbery charges connected to the alleged chain robberies.
Records show Velasquez is from El Salvador and has an immigration hold from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
His defense attorney Keaton Forcht has not commented on the new murder case.
Law enforcement is asking anyone who has been robbed or assaulted by Velasquez to come forward or call Crime Stoppers.