Houston man sentenced to 75 years for killing 16-year-old girl outside her home in 2018

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man was sentenced to 75 years in prison this week for the shooting death of a 16-year-old girl in 2018, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

Irbin Vargas, 29, was convicted of murder for shooting 16-year-old Lourdes "Betty" Sandoval on Sept. 12, 2018.

Authorities say Vargas, who was 22 years old at the time, dated Sandoval for about a year. After he held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her, she told her friends and family that she wanted to end their relationship.

Vargas and Sandoval were texting one another the night of the murder. She texted him to let him know she didn't want to be around him any more. Five minutes later, she left her house in the Greenspoint area to meet a friend who was waiting in a car.

Sandoval's friend saw her walk out of the townhouse and saw Vargas emerge from the shadows to strike her from behind, fatally shooting her in the head.

Vargas fled and was then arrested by officers with the Houston Police Department.

"He was a 22-year-old predator who worked to get close to a teenage girl," Assistant District Attorney Philip White said. "Five minutes after she told him that it was over for good, he killed her."

After a five-day trial in November, Vargas was convicted of murder. He opted to go to the judge for punishment and was handed a 75-year sentence.

Vargas will not be eligible for parole until he has completed at least 30 years in prison.