A Texas man admitted to shooting one of his employees to death on April 10, because the worker was allegedly having an affair with his wife, prosecutors said.
Edwin Figueroa, 23, told officers that he grew upset after learning about the affair. He went and bought a pistol, drank some alcohol, did cocaine, and went to the victim’s home, where he shot the man several times in the shower.
It wasn’t clear how the defendant was able to enter the apartment.
“I don’t know if he left his door unlocked or was this person already in his house because we don’t see any signs of forced entry at the moment,” Detective Willis Huff with the Houston Police Department Homicide division told KPRC.
Boss confesses to shooting man while he was showering, police say > https://t.co/lZqniSZn4J #kprc2 #hounews pic.twitter.com/Hk3NwdKBGR
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) April 12, 2019
The victim was able to stumble out into the parking lot of the Houston apartment complex and tell a bystander that it was his boss who shot him.
The man was then rushed to a hospital but died in surgery. The victim was identified as Rafael Nunez, 22, reported the Houston Chronicle. He was also named in another report as Rafael Serrano.
The shooting came days after Figueroa had assaulted Nunez over the affair. He told detectives that he and Nunez had been friends for four years.
Boss shot employee to death in shower because he was having affair with his wife: Prosecutors.Prosecutors say Edwin Figueroa was so mad he bought a pistol, drank some beer, did cocaine and went to the victim’s apartment to shoot him. https://t.co/BSn3d2AcML via @ABC13Houston
— Brhe Berry ABC13 (@BrheABC13) April 12, 2019
The brother of the victim told KPRC that Nunez lived at the apartment alone and worked as a roofer. He said that he wasn’t aware of any issues between his brother and his brother’s boss.
Figueroa appeared in court on April 12 and is due back in court on April 15. He’s being held on a $100,000 bond.
According to KHOU, Figueroa is not a U.S. citizen.
Edwin Figueroa in court this morning. He is charged with murdering his employee after an alleged affair.
Bond set at $100,000. pic.twitter.com/ai6m5vhh1I— Jeff Ehling (@JeffEhlingABC13) April 12, 2019
Crime Statistics
Crime declined in the United States in the first half of 2018 compared to the first half of 2017, the FBI said in February. Preliminary statistics show nearly all offenses in the violent crime category declined.
Robbery offenses decreased 12.5 percent, murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses decreased 6.7 percent, and aggravated assault offenses declined 2 percent, the agency said. Rapes, however, increased by 0.6 percent.
When comparing data from the first six months of 2018 with the first six months of 2017, all property crime categories showed a decrease. Burglaries were down 12.7 percent, larceny-thefts decreased 6.3 percent, and motor vehicle thefts declined 3.3 percent. The full 2018 crime report will be released later this year.
The FBI previously said that both violent crime and property crime decreased in 2017, the last year that full statistics are available for, compared to 2016. Overall violent crime decreased 0.2 percent from 2016 to 2017, while property crime decreased 3 percent during that time, the agency said in September 2018, releasing data from the previous year.
