Man gets 40 years for girl's shooting death

ABILENE, TX Javier Meza, 21, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to murder, Taylor County District Attorney James Eidson said. If he had been convicted at trial, which was set for later this month, he faced a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Meza had been jailed since the shooting last year that peppered a house with more than a dozen bullets, killing 4-year old Janie De La Paz as she slept in her bed in a front bedroom.

Police previously said they believed the house was targeted.

Islam Gonzales and Matthew Gonzalez, 17 and 19 at the time, respectively, also were indicted on murder charges and remain jailed, awaiting trial.

- Headlines at a glance

Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.