HOUSTON – Court documents revealed new details Wednesday into the investigation of a pregnant woman who was found shot to death at a northwest Houston motel earlier this month.
Justin Herron, 31, is charged with capital murder in connection with the death of 18-year-old Patra Perkins, who was carrying Herron’s child.
Her body was found Aug. 4 in a room at the HomeTowne Studios on Guhn Road near Fawndale Lane. She had been shot at least eight times and 16 shell casings were found inside the room, police said.
Perkins' aunt, the woman who raised her for 13 years, is still coming to terms that she'll never see Perkins again or her unborn baby. Sarah Wright said she raised her niece for 13 of her 18 years alive.
Herron was booked into the Harris County Jail on Tuesday after being arrested in New Mexico on Aug. 10.
According to an affidavit, Herron rented the motel room where Perkins’ body was found Aug. 2 and was picked up at the motel by a friend that night.
"He texted her and said, 'You know, can you meet me over here so we could get some closure.' She called an Uber over there even against her sister saying, 'No Patra. I don't think it's a good idea," Wright said.
The friend told investigators that Herron got into an argument over the phone with Perkins because she had been texting one of his friends, and the friend said he was going to “reach out and touch” Perkins, according to the affidavit.
Herron returned to the motel the next morning and called the friend back on Aug. 4, asking to be picked up from a Walmart near the motel, according to the affidavit.
The friend said that, when Herron got in the car, he received a phone call from someone and said, “I let out a whole clip on Patra,” during the conversation, according to the affidavit. He then threw his two cellphones out of the car before buying a new one inside the Walmart, according to the affidavit.
"Even with him being arrested, you still feel emptiness 'cause there's a baby that we'll never get to know," Wright said. "If Patra was still here with that baby, she'd have to be around him for years to come. So maybe God made the decision because he was a monster."
Herron appeared in court late Tuesday, and the judge ruled he should be held in jail without bail. A mental evaluation was also ordered.
"Do I think he's a horrible person? Absolutely. Do I think he's a monster? Without a doubt. But mentally ill? Absolutely not," Wright said.