A woman from Texas, wore a mask and dark clothing, broke into her mother's apartment through a window and fatally stabbed her. She later changed her clothes, returned to the scene, and pretended to have no knowledge of the incident.
She has been sentenced to 30 years for the murder.
Ericka Nicole McDonald, 31, was sentenced this week for the killing of her mother, Terri Mendoza, 51, at her apartment in Houston on August 16, 2021. Prosecutors have stated that McDonald cannot appeal the conviction or the punishment, and she must serve at least half of her prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
In this tragic case, prosecutors from the Homicide Division were able to obtain justice for the victim, as stated by Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.
McDonald was staying with family members in a nearby apartment when she committed the crime. An eyewitness identified her as the intruder, even though she was wearing a mask, and the Houston police arrested her.
Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith, who handled the case, emphasized the importance of obtaining justice and ensuring that McDonald would go to prison without the possibility of appeal.
Investigators revealed that once McDonald entered her mother's apartment, she immediately began attacking both her mother and her 63-year-old aunt. A witness saw McDonald attempting to perform CPR on her mother before leaving the scene. Mendoza later died in the hospital.
Detectives mentioned that McDonald believed her mask had sufficiently concealed her identity and returned to her mother's apartment shortly after the stabbing, claiming she had no involvement in the crime. However, her wounded aunt could identify her as the perpetrator.
According to KTRK-TV, police discovered bloody clothes and a knife in McDonald's apartment. It was reported that she was intoxicated at the time of the attack.
Prior to the incident, McDonald had a dispute with her mother and aunt, leading to police calls to the apartment twice that day – once for a disturbance call at 3 p.m. and then for a wellness check about 30 minutes later.
Responding officers wanted to arrest McDonald, who was allegedly intoxicated, on charges of child endangerment and assault. However, the Harris County District Attorney's Office informed KTRK that prosecutors declined to move forward due to a lack of evidence. Approximately six hours later, Mendoza was fatally stabbed.
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