Nassau Bay man sentenced to 25 years in jail for 2020 shooting death of ex-girlfriend

NASSAU BAY, Texas (KTRK) -- A 51-year-old man will spend 25 years behind bars for the 2020 shooting death of his 47-year-old girlfriend, according to Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

Robert Wayne Douglas fatally shot Tanya Melton on Aug. 1, 2020, at his Nassau Bay apartment in the 2000 block of San Sebastian Court. More than two years after her murder, on Feb. 15, Douglas pled guilty and was sentenced.

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Witnesses, including Melton's daughter, testified the couple had dated for about a year, and Douglas had a history of being violent toward his girlfriend. Melton and Douglas had broken up about four months before the shooting, but they were reportedly still friendly.

On the night of the shooting, Melton and two friends went to Douglas' apartment to go swimming and have drinks with him. During this, Douglas went to his apartment and fell asleep. Melton, along with their mutual friend, went into Douglas' room and woke him up. Once awake, Douglas asked, "Where is my gun?" and picked up a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and shot Melton in the head, according to authorities.

The friend tried to wrestle the gun away from Douglas and fled to call the police.

At the scene, officers found Melton dead with a single gunshot wound and Douglas sitting next to her. When asked what happened, authorities said Douglas said, "I killed her."

Douglas later told detectives with the Harris County Sheriff's Office who were assisting Nassau Bay that he and Melton had been arguing about her "cheating," and he shot her. Prosecutors said Douglas and Melton knew each other when they were young and began dating after her marriage ended.

"This built up over several months," Assistant District Attorney Anthony Osso said. "This was not sudden passion or an accident because of too much alcohol."