Suspected Houston rapist who confessed to 2 murders gets 65 years in prison, district attorney says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man who confessed to two murders after being arrested for rape has been sentenced to 65 years in prison, according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

The video above is from a previous report.

Chris Dontrell Roddy, 31, was arrested in July 2020 after DNA linked him to the sexual assault of a woman jogging at MacGregor Park in February 2020.

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As Roddy awaited trial, he was interviewed by a detective about the April 2017 death of Kithy Pagett, a 34-year-old woman who was shot in the back of the head at her Greater Greenspoint apartment, according to the district attorney's office.

Authorities said Pagett was one of Roddy's neighbors and the two knew each other.

In addition, Roddy's DNA was found on a soda can near the crime scene, but because they were acquaintances there was not enough evidence to charge him, the district attorney said.

During the interview, Roddy said he recently had a religious conversion and confessed to Pagett's killing. He also confessed to the murder of Dantrell Burks, a stranger who was riding his bicycle at the apartment complex in 2016.

Roddy said he shot Burks multiple times.

"No one in our community was safe until we got this man off the streets," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "We have ensured a conviction and ensured he is headed to prison for a long time."

Roddy will not be eligible for parole until he has served 30 years in prison, which is the same as if he had been sentenced to a longer prison sentence, including life in prison, the district attorney's office shared.