Houston man charged with murder after girlfriend vanishes before testifying

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man has been charged with capital murder in the 2022 disappearance of his girlfriend, who was set to testify against him in a separate criminal case.

Bre'Andrea Wiley, 19, vanished in January 2022, just weeks before she was scheduled to serve as a witness in an aggravated robbery case involving her boyfriend, John Roman, in Colorado County. Although Wiley's body has never been found, prosecutors say there is substantial evidence to charge Roman with her murder and a deliberate cover-up.

Roman, now 40, had been a suspect since Wiley's disappearance. However, he was not formally charged until this week, when Houston police detectives made another attempt to question him on his birthday. That visit ultimately led to the capital murder charge.

According to court records, Roman and Wiley had been in a relationship since she was 16 and he was in his early 30s. Records state that she used to babysit his children.

Investigators learned that on Jan. 12, 2022, Wiley clocked out of her job in northwest Houston at 3:01 p.m. and was believed to have gone home. Surveillance footage later captured her and Roman together in the parking lot of their apartment complex on West Little York. Investigators believe they left together in Roman's Jeep, but Wiley was never seen again.

Roughly 50 minutes later, Roman returned in the same vehicle, this time alone.

In the days that followed, a friend reported a suspicious tarp that smelled like bleach. Investigators later discovered that Roman used a friend's car and also rented a separate vehicle following Wiley's disappearance. Court records state that the Jeep smelled of bleach, and although Roman's mother's house has since been demolished, images from Google Street View in 2022 reveal a suspicious bleach stain on the driveway where the Jeep had once been parked.

Prosecutor Brett Batchelor said Roman appeared to have used multiple vehicles to conceal his actions and erase evidence. He emphasized that even without a body, authorities believe the gathered evidence, including blood found in the rental car and cell phone records, is enough to pursue the capital murder charge.

"We feel like we have enough to prove he committed this capital murder," Batchelor said. "He did everything he could to try to stop Bre'Andrea from testifying against him. He thought he could get away with all that he had done, but he can't. We're trying to prove that she does deserve justice, and he should pay for what he did to her."

Roman is currently serving a 99-year prison sentence for the aggravated robbery case in which Wiley was set to testify. Prosecutors say he will be returned to Harris County under a bench warrant to face trial for Wiley's murder. Unlike the aggravated robbery, he would not be eligible for parole if convicted.

Family members of Bre'Andrea Wiley expressed relief that the case is moving forward, but continue to hold out hope that her remains will eventually be recovered. They released the following statement:

"Over the past few years, we have been dreading this day. It's bittersweet. We knew all along that he was responsible, but why did the system wait so long to stop this man? After years of reporting his erratic behavior & abuse, justice will be served! He possibly took the life of someone's child- my sister who is loved by many! Thank you to the people who have given kind words and prayers. God isn't finished!"

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