Man sentenced to 35 years for 2017 deadly shooting of 17-year-old over $250 in Northshore area

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A now-22-year-old man accused of killing a 17-year-old schoolmate entered a plea deal and was sentenced to prison this week, the Harris County District Attorney's Office announced.

Jesse Quinones was 17 years old when Patrick Aldape was shot and killed on April 13, 2017. He pleaded guilty to murder on Wednesday in exchange for 35 years in prison.

He will have to serve at least half of his sentence before he's eligible for parole, the DA's office said. He's not allowed to appeal the conviction or the sentence.

Quinones was a student at ACE (Accelerated Center-Education) in 2017 when he reportedly brought a 9mm pistol to a meeting with Aldape. Officials said they met in a cul-de-sac in the 500 block of Slumberwood in the Northshore area.

The DA's office said Quinones had been working on a shotgun that belonged to Aldape, and the teenagers were meeting to exchange the shotgun for money.

During the meeting, Quinones gave Aldape the shotgun, which was wrapped in a towel. Officials said Aldape then reminded Quinones that he owed him $250, and Quinones said he needed to go get the money.

Instead, police said he drove a few blocks away, loaded the 9mm pistol, and came back. That's when Aldape walked up to the car and Quinones shot him from the driver's seat.

Quinones reportedly fired several more times. He later told investigators he continued to shoot because Aldape was screaming and, "I had to finish it," the DA's office said.

Officials said Quinones fled the scene but wrecked his car a mile and a half away in the 500 block of Federal. He ran from the crash and left the pistol behind.

A woman who was with Aldape during the shooting drove him to a hospital, the DA's office said. The woman still had the shotgun in the car and tossed it into the bushes. Police later recovered the weapon.

Aldape died at the hospital.

Days after the 17-year-old died, Quinones went to the Houston Police Department to confess. He was later charged with capital murder.

However, since Quinones was 17 at the time, he could have faced life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. As a part of the plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to murder instead of capital murder.