Florinda Argueta was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in prison, while her son, Joe Argueta, received a 40-year sentence. Both were found guilty on Monday of murdering 29-year-old Eddie Clark III, a neighbor who investigators say was innocent and uninvolved.
"It was a plan of attack," prosecutor Bryan Honeycutt said, arguing the Argueta family orchestrated the killing after repeated vandalism at their northwest Harris County home.
Evidence presented at trial included surveillance video showing Clark driving his Dodge Charger as it was boxed in by vehicles allegedly driven by Argueta family members. Clark attempted to escape but was chased down the street. Joe, then 19, admitted to firing several shots, records show. Clark was fatally wounded before crashing into a tree.
Text messages revealed in court pointed to a coordinated plan. On the morning of the shooting, Florinda allegedly texted her son that the "gun is under the mattress." In other messages, Joe told his girlfriend he did not care about "leaving a mom with no son."
Clark's family, who described him as simply coming home from work the night he was killed, told ABC13 that the sentences were fair.
"Right now, the Clark family has only been able to see 50% of the people brought to justice, and we won't rest until we get 100%," Honeycutt, chief prosecutor in the 487th District Court, said.
Two other family members are still facing charges. Joe's uncle, Margarito Alcantar, is in custody in south Texas. His father, Luis Argueta, remains at large and was recently named to Houston's first-ever "Most Wanted" list. He has never been arrested.
Anyone with Information about the whereabouts of Luis Argueta is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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