What happened to Marisela Castro? Teen arrested over Houston trans woman’s murder

Marisela Castro, a 30-year-old trans woman from Houston, was shot dead in the middle of Centerwood Street in the North Shore neighborhood on July 29, 2022.

Houston police confirmed on Thursday (March 16) that a 17-year-old boy has been arrested over his involvement in the shooting and is facing a capital murder charge, ABC News reported. However, they do not believe that he shot Castro.

Another transgender American murdered. Marisela Castro, 39, was shot to death in Houston early Friday. She worked in construction and would always stand up to discrimination at work sites or at businesses that didn’t want to serve her. https://t.co/Rlay3YQ75K

Police said they are still looking for a second unidentified suspect involved in Marisela Castro's shooting.

Details of Marisela Castro's death explored

According to ABC News, surveillance footage from the night of the shooting showed Marisela Castro and two others inside her car in the North Shore neighborhood.

Castro and the unidentified suspect were seen walking out of the car before the assailant fired a single shot towards the transgender woman, who was hit in the back at around 2 am.

The assailant was then seen getting back in the vehicle before driving away with the other suspect. Authorities have not disclosed additional details about the murder, including the motive, as they cannot release information in a case that involves a juvenile suspect.

Trans Griot Weekly is reporting that Marisela Castro is the young Trans Latina who was murdered in Houston on July 29, 2022. #SayHerName #StopKillingUs #JusticeForMarisela #translivesmatter https://t.co/XIzVfddCyZ

However, authorities said that they believe that the 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was not the one who shot Castro. Houston Police added that the other suspect, who they believe shot Castro, remains at large.

Marisela Castro, a transgender Latina, was killed in Houston, TX on July 29. She was 39 years old.#TDOR #TransDayOfRemembrance https://t.co/GX5XcBL8md

Marisela Castro’s brother was informed of the suspect’s arrest after police took him into custody. The brother, who chose to remain anonymous as he feared retaliation, told the outlet that he believed that the other suspect would inevitably have to face the consequences of his actions even if managed to evade the law.

"Sadly, that is life sometimes. The person who commits these crimes is out in the streets. Sometimes they are never caught, but God will take care of that."

He added:

"I pray to God that (Marisela) is in a good place now. I hope God has forgiven (Marisela's) sins and (Marisela) is at peace now."

In a statement to ABC News, Elia Chino, executive director of Fundación Latinoamericana De Acción Social - a group that aids Houston's LGBTQ Latino community - said that they were elated that law enforcement found the people responsible for the incident.

"I am so happy that finally, law enforcement is doing something about it to find those responsible. Our lives matter."

Houston police have asked anyone with information on the second suspect to call their homicide division at 713-308-3600 or submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS, ABC News reported.

Edited by Shubham Banerjee

Be the first one to comment