Aiexpress – A Houston, Texas, truck driver was shot and killed at home early Sunday in front of his wife and two young children, in what local police are initially investigating as a deadly home invasion carried out by “three male suspects” wearing ski masks.
Noel Espronceda, 35, was shot overnight at his Castlecreek Lane home, where he, his 5- and 6-year-old daughters, and wife had been asleep before the 2:30 a.m. report of gunfire.
According to Houston Police Department Det. David Higgs’ statement of the case captured on KHOU’s cameras, Espronceda was discovered dead at the site with “multiple apparent gunshot wounds.”
Higgs stated that three unidentified individuals wearing ski masks and black clothing are accused of committing a house invasion and homicide. However, the investigator on the scene stated that no things were taken from the property, nor were there any signs of a “physical fight.”
“Nothing was taken from the home that we can tell at this point,” Higgs stated, prompting others to speculate that this was a targeted killing. “I don’t see any evidence of a physical fight inside the house.”
According to KHOU, both of the children have autism, with the youngest seeing their father’s shooting.
According to a local CBS affiliate, Espronceda’s stepdaughter talked anonymously about her disbelief that her loved one, who appeared to have “no enemies” and had just returned home from work, had lost everything.
“Everyone is down because when something occurs to someone who has done nothing wrong, with someone who is a nice father, son, friend, and brother, you feel as if you have no idea. “You feel bad,” she reportedly said.
While Det. Higgs stated that cops do not believe there is a larger threat to the public, neighbors are concerned that the suspects, who have an unclear motivation, are not in custody, particularly given video footage from outside the home prior to the shooting.
KPRC footage shows one man opening the passenger door of a pickup outside the residence at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, closing the door, and leaving the premises. The footage indicated that, around an hour later, one man returned to the residence and turned off the outdoor lights. A short time later, when that individual fled the area, two additional men were seen in the background entering the house.
Paul A. VanHouten Jr., 57, of Williamstown, died on Thursday, February 22. The cause of death was not stated in the obituary.
NJ Advance Media first reported on the story. His attorney, Robert N. Agre, was in court and unavailable for comment when the Daily Voice contacted him on Monday, Feb. 26.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office said that VanHouten’s trial for second-degree sexual assault, child endangerment, and official misconduct would commence on March 4. VanHouten has pleaded not guilty to the accusations.
Authorities suspect that VanHouten, a science teacher at Williamstown Middle School in Monroe Township, abused the girl in February 2020. Authorities say he threatened to fail the student if she told anyone.
