Texas Man Sentenced to Life in Prison After Killing Five Following Neighbor's Gunfire Complaint
Francisco Oropeza faces life sentence after fatal confrontation in Cleveland, Texas, over late-night gunshots.
COLDSPRING, Texas — A Texas man who killed five people in 2023, including a child, after a neighbor confronted him about firing his gun late at night, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction came after Francisco Oropeza, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to capital murder on Wednesday.
Oropeza, 40, admitted to the brutal killings that occurred on April 28, 2023, when he stormed into his neighbor's home following a complaint that he had been firing his gun late into the night, disturbing the peace and keeping a baby awake. As part of a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty, Oropeza agreed to plead guilty to multiple murders, the San Jacinto County District Attorney's office confirmed.
Todd Dillon, the District Attorney, stated that extensive discussions with the victims' families led to the decision to offer the plea deal, ensuring Oropeza would face life in prison. Dillon emphasized that the defendant would remain in Texas state custody indefinitely.
"He will not be eligible for deportation or release," Dillon said. "He will serve his sentence until the end of his life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice."
Oropeza's previous deportations — four in total between 2009 and 2016 — were noted by U.S. immigration authorities, but they will not alter his prison sentence, Dillon added.
Emotional testimony from victims’ relatives marked the hearing, as family members of the five victims — all from Honduras, including a 9-year-old boy — addressed the court. The youngest victim, an infant, was unharmed in the attack.
The shooting occurred in Cleveland, Texas, a small town roughly 45 miles north of Houston. After the murders, Oropeza fled the area, prompting a large-scale manhunt. Authorities eventually apprehended him near Conroe, about 20 miles from the crime scene.
Oropeza’s defense attorney, Anthony Osso Sr., did not immediately respond to requests for comment but previously stated that tensions between Oropeza and his neighbors had been escalating for some time before the fatal altercation.