Teen Killers | Murder Database

James Sotelo Murders Corey Thompson In Texas

James Sotelo is a teen killer from Texas who was convicted of the murder of Corey Thompson

According to court documents Corey Thompson was spending the night at the Sotelo family home. When Corey attempted to go to bed he would be shot over a dozen times by James Sotelo for apparently no reason. One of the bullets would go through the wall and strike James brother in the face. The brother would survive the shooting

James Sotelo would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to forty years in prison

James Sotelo Case

A Cypress-area man who killed a high school friend in a late-night shooting was sentenced to 40 in prison on Friday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“There was absolutely no reason for this cold-blooded murder, so we know this man is a danger to the community,” Ogg said. “In fact, after he was freed on bond for murder, he continued his criminal ways and was rearrested for carrying a gun.”

James Michael Sotelo, 21, was sentenced by a judge to 40 years in prison for the murder of Corey Thompson, a friend from high school who was spending the night at the Sotelo family home, on March 20, 2021.

Sotelo fired a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at least 13 times as his friend was apparently trying to go to bed about 3 a.m. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded.

Investigators found that Thompson was hit at least 11 times, several in the back. At least one bullet also went through the bedroom wall and hit Sotelo’s brother in the face as he slept. The brother survived the shooting, and Sotelo was also convicted of deadly conduct for shooting him.

Assistant District Attorney Kyle Tucker prosecuted the case in a six-day trial in November. A Harris County jury convicted Sotelo, who opted to have his punishment determined by the judge after a pre-sentence investigation. During a hearing on Friday, eight months after the jury conviction, the judge sentenced Sotelo to 40 years in prison for the murder and two years for the deadly conduct. Those sentences will run concurrently.

“According to the defendant, he wasn’t intoxicated or under the influence of any drugs, which makes deliberately pulling the trigger 13 times that much worse,” Tucker said. “We asked the judge for a sentence of at least 50 years because this defendant doesn’t care about what he did, he did not have any remorse for the victim and there weren’t any mitigating factors.”

Sotelo must serve at least half of the prison sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

https://www.harriscountyda.com/cypress_area_man_sentenced_to_40_years_for_killing_friend

James Sotelo News

A Cypress-area man who killed a high school friend in a shooting was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Friday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

At the time of the shooting, Sotelo was an 18-year-old high school dropout and the victim was 17-years-old.

Sotelo fired a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at least 13 times as his friend was apparently trying to go to bed around 3 a.m. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) responded.

Sotelo must serve at least half of the prison sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

https://cw39.com/crime/cypress-area-man-sentenced-to-40-years-for-killing-friend

Franecha Torres Murders Willian Tunchez In Georgia

Franecha Torres is a teen killer from Georgia who was convicted of the murder of Willian Tunchez

According to court documents Franecha Torres along with Nicholas Evans, 17, and Khalil Miller, 18 would lure William Tunchez to a remote path where he was promised that he would be allowed to have sex with Franecha. When Tunchez arrived he would be beaten, robbed and fatally shot. His body would be found by children the next day

Police would arrest Franecha Torres, Nicholas Evans and Khalil Miller who would all be charged with robbery and murder

Franecha Torres would hit internet fame to her reaction when she learned that she was charged with murder, see video below,

Franecha Torres would be found guilty at trial and be sentenced to life in prison without parole

Franecha Torres Video

Franecha Torres Now

MAJOR OFFENSE: MURDER
MOST RECENT INSTITUTION: PULASKI STATE PRISON
MAX POSSIBLE RELEASE DATE: LIFE, W/O PAROLE

Franecha Torres Case

Before Willian Tunchez was fatally shot and robbed, three teens lured him with the promise of sex to the Suwanee path where he later died, a Gwinnett County detective said at a Thursday hearing.

Franecha Torres, 17, of Norcross, along with Nicholas Evans, 17, and Khalil Miller, 18, both of Suwanee, are all charged in the killing of 21-year-old Tunchez, of Lawrenceville. Tunchez’s body was found by neighborhood children the day after he was fatally shot, according to police.

Evans and Miller told Tunchez he could have sex with Torres for $300 on Oct. 7 if he came to a wooded walking path in a Suwanee subdivision, Detective Micah Hegwood testified at the preliminary hearing. When Tunchez arrived, Evans pointed a gun at Tunchez and Miller hit him over the head with a stick, Hegwood said. Tunchez started wrestling for the gun, and the gun went off.

Tunchez was shot in the neck. Evans, Miller and Torres took the belongings Tunchez had on him and fled, leaving Tunchez bleeding on the path, according to Hegwood. Tunchez’s body was discovered the next day, but not before Miller returned to the scene for a second look, Hegwood said.

“[Miller] said he actually went back and checked on the body the next day,” Hegwood said.

The teens also claimed to have been members of the Gangsta Disciples, according to Hegwood, but later said they were “just pretending.”

Evans and Miller have admitted to police that they were involved in Tunchez’s death, Channel 2 Action News reported. Torres has not said anything to the police regarding Tunchez, according to the news station.

Miller and Evans are both charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and armed robbery. Torres is charged with felony murder and armed robbery. The three teens are also being held on armed robbery charges stemming from three other incidents in Suwanee.

Miller, Evans and Torres are all being held without bond. The Thursday hearing was to determine whether there was probable cause for the charges to go forward; a magistrate judge determined there was. The issue of bond will be addressed at a later date by a Gwinnett County Superior Court judge

https://www.ajc.com/news/local/cop-gwinnett-teens-lured-man-with-promise-sex-before-killing-him/vCayg7CXI6nMcFkZM1GRpJ

Adrian Gonzalez Murders 8 Yr Old Madyson Middleton

Adrian Gonzalez is a teen killer who would murder eight year old Madyson Middleton in California

According to court documents Adrian Gonzalez and Madyson Middleton lived in the same housing complex in Santa Cruz California

The fifteen year old teen killer would lure the eight year old girl into his mothers apartment where he would sexually assault the child before strangling her to death.

Adrian Gonzalez would be arrested and ultimately plead guilty and would be sentenced to a juvenile prison

Now Adrian Gonzalez is about to turn twenty five years old and under California law is eligible to be paroled

Adrian Gonzalez Case

The man who was 15 when he kidnapped, raped and murdered 8-year-old Madyson “Maddy” Middleton and then dumped her body in a recycling bin was sentenced Tuesday to juvenile prison until he turns 25 in October 2024.

Adrian “A.J.” Gonzalez, now 21, must also register for life as a sex offender, Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge John Salazar ruled. He added that Senate Bill 1391, which prohibits juveniles from being prosecuted as adults, limited the penalties that could be imposed.

“There is no way for anyone to understand the profound and absolute pain and grief a family experiences when losing a child under these circumstances,” Salazar said.

Gonzalez pleaded guilty on April 15 to murder and numerous sex offenses and other charges. If convicted as an adult, he would have faced life in prison.

Before the sentencing, Gonzalez offered an apology, saying he hopes to one day earn the forgiveness of Maddy’s family.

“I understand there is very little I can say after all the pain and suffering I have caused,” he said. “My goal is to work on my issues so no one else has to experience what you have endured.

“I am aware that does not change the fact that I have brought you tragedy, loss and devastation. I am hopeful that, when I take the time to apologize, that you may accept my apologies for the actions that I have done and what they have brought you.”

Maddy’s father Michael Middleton said he has accepted her loss, and that he has forgiven Gonzalez.

“That does not make anything easier, it just allows me peace,” he said. “The alternative could be to hold to the darkness, but this would only consume my soul. I refuse to poison my soul and existence. Forgiveness is the only path, and I believe that Madyson would agree.”

But Middleton said that attitude should not be taken as a desire for leniency, saying that Gonzalez should have faced life in prison.

“Adrian Gonzalez should never have the opportunity to repeat these crimes again,” he said.

Middleton said he doubts that rehabilitation is a possibility, considering Gonzalez’s crimes.

“A crime of this nature should not be swept under the rug, based on individuals who feel this can be remedied by rehabilitation,” he said. “I do not see this scenario as possible based on the severity and sophistication of the acts that were committed.

Maddy’s mother Laura Jordan described her daughter as “the light and love of my life.”

“(She was) the best thing I ever made,” Jordan said during an emotional, tearful statement. “She was growing up beautifully, bright, perky, fun and generous of heart.”

Jordan said that Madyson’s death left her suffering depression, anxiety and PTSD that impacted every aspect of her life and made her unable to work.

“You stole my joy, my ability to laugh through grief, leaving me with utter and complete hopelessness,” she said. “A.J., I’ve been hollowed out by your cruel, brutal, unconscionable acts, left empty and aching for my beautiful child Madyson Jordan Middleton.”

Before the hearing, about 30 people gathered outside the courtroom to protest SB 1391. Many of those people later huddled around cell phones to listen to the livestreamed hearing.

Scotts Valley resident Linda Johnson, a mother of two adult daughters, said she came to show her support for Maddy’s family.

“It’s my personal opinion that a child of 15 that plans such a heinous crime cannot be rehabilitated,” she said. “I don’t see that happening. He planned every detail.”

She said that life without the possibility of parole would have been the appropriate punishment.

“I think he’s a predator, and no child is safe around him,” she said.

Dan Middleton, Maddy’s grandfather, said that the sentencing ignores all the evidence showing that Gonzalez is a danger to society. He also predicts that SB 1391 will have dire consequences for future cases.

“I’m very disappointed in the way things are falling out,” he said. “What we’re doing here is waking people up about what will happen down the line.”

Maddy Middleton’s killer sentenced, could walk free in 2024

Bryanna Barozzini Murders Halia Culbertson In Ohio

Bryanna Barozzini is a teen killer from Ohio who was convicted of the murder of Halia Culbertson

According to court documents Bryanna Barozzini and Halia Culbertson were involved in a fight outside of a smoke shop in Columbus Ohio. Halia allegeedly slapped Bryanna who would then pull out a knife and stab the other teen causing an injury that led to her death

Bryanna Barozzini would initially be charged with first degree murder and faced spending the rest of her life in prison however before her trial was to begin she would reach a plea deal and pled to involuntary manslaughter.

At her sentencing Bryanna Barozzini would be sentenced to three years in prison with eligibility for early release

Bryanna Barozzini Case

A Franklin County judge sentenced a Westerville woman to three years in prison Thursday for fatally stabbing 17-year-old Halia Culbertson, of Sunbury, during a March 2023 altercation outside a smoke shop.

Bryanna Barozzini, who was 18 when the stabbing occurred, previously pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in June just as jury selection was expected to begin in her trial. She stabbed Culbertson during a March 26, 2023, altercation outside a convenience store in the Northland area.

Thursday’s hearing had an undercurrent of tension as Judge Mark Serrott gave members of Culbertson’s family a chance to speak for more than an hour before handing down his judgment against Barozzini, now 20.

Barozzini faced up to three years in prison due of the nature of the involuntary manslaughter charge.

How Culbertson died was the center of Thursday’s hearing. Her family says Barozzini intentionally stabbed Culbertson, finding her at a convenience store after the former best friends had a falling out.

“It feels like a betrayal of my daughter’s memory and the justice she was promised,” Culbertson’s mother, Haley Culbertson, said. “She wished my daughter to hell. She was clearly mad. Swore on her whole family her intent so how does she end up the same place at the same time?”

But Barozzini’s attorney, Robert Krapenc, said Culbertson attacked Barozzini and she would have argued self-defense at trial.

Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Trent Grohe said the two women clearly had bad blood between them and said the killing was one of “unjustifiable rage” and a “disproportionate response to a slap”not self-defense.

Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies lined the walls of the packed courtroom Thursday as Serrott rendered his decision.

In a sentencing memo filed prior to Thursday’s sentencing, Krapenc said video filmed by a bystander to the fight shows Barozzini attempting to back away from Culbertson. A person with Barozzini tried to intervene and was told to get away by someone with Culbertson, according to the sentencing memo.

Krapenc wrote in the memo that Barozzini is seen on the video taking at least 30 steps backward, including several after she pulled a knife that she had in her pocket from her work.

“She tried to retreat but was not successful,” Krapenc wrote. “(Culbertson) began the argument in the store. After being removed, she waited for Bryanna to exit the store. She confronted Bryanna, threatening her, pushing her and finally striking her. Although Bryanna repeatedly backed away and said she did not wish to fight, Ms. Culbertson continued in her aggressive actions.”

Barozzini swung the knife one time at Culbertson, striking her in the chest. Krapenc said Culbertson continued to attack Barozzini.

Video of the fight recorded by a bystander shows Culbertson realizing she had been stabbed with blood on her chest after the fight ended.

On Thursday, Culbertson’s family called Barozzini a villain who deserves more than what she could receive as part of a plea deal.

“Nothing has scarred me so badly as losing Halia. When I was with my sister, I didn’t need anything else,” Culbertson’s sister, Kaelyn, said. “How can someone be so cruel? How can someone be so vicious? Someone who was supposed to be my sister’s best friend killed her and left her to bleed out.”

Culbertson’s grandmother Katherine Langley spoke Thursday about the messages she says she received from Culbertson in her prayers, questioning why the teen’s life was only worth a maximum three year sentence.

“Is it any wonder criminals believe they can get away with murder because they can? You are supposed to be fair,” she said to Serrott.

Barozzini briefly spoke before being sentenced, saying she understood how much pain and harm she had caused.

“I will be living with this guilt the rest of my life,” she said.

Barozzini will have the opportunity to apply for early release from prison, Serrott said, and he will consider it at the appropriate point in time.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/courts/2024/07/11/bryanna-barozzini-westrville-gets-prison-for-fatally-stabbing-halia-culbertson/74341153007

Bryanna Barozzini Video

Bryanna Barozzini Now

Number W113508

DOB 05/01/2004

Gender Female

Race White

Admission Date 07/17/2024

Institution Ohio Reformatory for Women

Status INCARCERATED

Aggregate Sentence 3.00 HB86-5

Expected Release Date/Parole Eligibility Date 07/08/2027

Emma Presler Murders Devin Graham

Emma Presler is a teen killer from Texas who would douse a man with a flammable liquid and set him on fire

According to court documents Emma Presler would go to the home of Deven Graham and would soak the man with gasoline then set him on fire. Deven Graham would suffer burns to ninety percent of his body and would die from his injuries. Deven girlfriend would suffer burns to fifty percent of her body however would thankfully survive her injuries

Emma Presler who had previously been arrested for another murder linked to a shooting , the charges would ultimately be dropped, would be arrested and she would plead guilty to the murder to escape the death penalty and would be sentenced to thirty years in prison

Emma Presler Case

A Houston woman who soaked a Kingwood man and woman with gasoline and then set them ablaze pleaded guilty to first-degree murder to avoid a capital murder trial and a potential death sentence.
On Wednesday, Emma Lou Presler, 22, of Houston appeared with her attorney, Gerald Borque, in the 435th District Court, before Judge Patty Maginnis. Presler is sentenced to 30 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The horrific act occurred at the victims’ Kingwood residence at 2046 Aspen Glade Drive. Most people are aware the City of
Houston annexed Kingwood years ago. A lesser-known fact is that part of Kingwood, technically Houston, is in Montgomery County. This results in some confusion for residents, first responders, and sometimes dispatchers. In Presler’s case, Houston Police responded and conducted the investigation, but the case was filed in Montgomery County and assigned to a district court in Conroe.

According to the Complaint by HPD Officer Windham, Presler doused 33-year-old Devin Graham and 26-year-old Karissa Lindross with gasoline and ignited the man and woman, as well as the home. Hospital staff told an HPD Arson Investigator Graham was burned over about 90 percent of his body and Lindross sustained severe burns over 50 percent of her body.

A neighbor told investigators around 9:35 p.m., Lindross ran to his home smelling of gasoline, with her burned skin falling off of her. He said he let Lindross into his house to try and help her, and Lindross told him a man and woman had thrown gasoline on her lit her on fire.

Another neighbor said he was outside sitting in his truck when he heard an explosion, and looked up to see huge flames from the home where the attack occurred. The man said he heard Graham screaming for help and went to him. Graham, he said, told him “they tried to kill him.”

Actually, “they” succeeded in killing him. According to the Complaint, a little less than 48 hours after being burned alive, Graham died.

Another man, who was staying at Graham’s home at the time of the murder, told investigators he was there when Presler and a man he didn’t know arrived. He said she and Graham were arguing in the living room, and he went into the kitchen. The man said he then smelled gasoline, just before a fiery explosion occurred, and ran outside. The witness said Graham and Lindross then ran outside, and both of them were on fire. He said he used a garden hose to extinguish them and he left when medics arrived. The witness also identified Presler from a photo lineup.

On August 16, 2021, the investigator interviewed Lindross in the hospital. She was unable to speak, but was coherent and could nod or shake her head in response to questions. She revealed she knew Presler for more than a year and positively identified a photo of her.

The investigation revealed the gas can kept in the home’s garage was used to pour gas on her and Graham, and Presler then used a cigarette lighter to ignite the gasoline. Since Presler’s actions resulted in Graham’s death, and she was committing arson at the same time, the murder could have landed her on death row, but Presler decided not to risk it.

It remains unclear what role the man mentioned by both victims and the uninjured witness played. The victims had identified Presler as the person who soaked them with gasoline and started the fire. If the man was ever identified, it’s not mentioned in the complaint, nor is it mentioned whether he faces any charges.

Emma Presler remains in the Montgomery County Jail awaiting transfer to a state prison

Woman Who Burned Two Alive Seals Fate

Emma Presler Now

SID Number:    18141061

TDCJ Number:    02508637

Name:    PRESLER,EMMA LOU

Race:    W

Gender:    F

Age:    22

Maximum Sentence Date:    2051-08-26

Current Facility:    COUNTY BENCH WARRANT

Projected Release Date:    2051-08-26

Parole Eligibility Date:    2036-08-25