Houston teen charged when man dies after being found severely beaten behind gas station, HCSO says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A man who escaped the civil war of his homeland to settle in Houston was severely beaten and left for dead at an Alief-area gas station.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office says Ye Myint Aung, 39, died on May 23 after being punched more than 20 times inside a gas station.

Homicide detectives began their investigation after the Harris County Coroner's Office notified officials of a delayed death case at their office.

That Friday at about 9:30 p.m., Lakisha Wilks went to the Synco Station on 13102 Bissonnet Street looking to buy some food.

That's when he saw Aung, a friend who had done some odd jobs for her, lying on the ground behind the gas station, with some regular customers looking on.

"I said, 'Something is definitely wrong,'" she recalled. "And they said, 'Well, he's been here since 9:30 in the morning.' I said, 'No, no, no. Something's not right.' They said, 'Well, whatever you do, do not call 911.' And I said, 'No. Whatever I do, I'm going to call 911.'"

Wilks called 911, but Aung, having gone 12 hours without medical care, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Aung's brother said the last two weeks of waiting for the detective to make an arrest have been excruciating.

"I called the police, I thought they would act immediately, but they have to follow step by step," Aung's brother, Thang Hmung, said. "That time is very difficult to wait."

Detectives were able to obtain extensive surveillance footage from the gas station, which they say was crucial in finding the suspect.

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Investigators said the video shows the suspect, 17-year-old Lansselo Martinez, and another person arrive at the gas station on Thursday at about 7 p.m. The two reportedly stayed for longer than 15 minutes and were seen communicating with Aung.

Court documents said the teen and the passenger then drove away when a beer bottle, which was set on the hood, fell off. Investigators say they believe Martinez mistakenly believed someone threw a bottle at them. However, court documents said the passenger had placed the beer bottle on the hood when they first arrived at the filling station.

Martinez reportedly then got out of his car and began attacking other patrons outside the gas station, records said. Officials said two people ran off before the victim was pointed out, and Martinez started to hit him.

In a video reviewed by ABC13, you can clearly see Aung, in a white shirt, being hit multiple times by who investigators identify as Martinez, wearing a black shirt. Investigators said Aung was hit on the head at least 20 times. Another camera recorded the 39-year-old at the back of the store shortly before he was seen losing consciousness and collapsing.

Despite a number of customers coming to the store throughout the day, and the store remaining open, investigators said nobody called 911. When Wilks showed up to buy tacos, it was more than 12 hours later.

"He could have been saved, I truly believed," Wliks said. "He could have been saved! I didn't get there until 9:30 at night."

Wilks says she hopes the investigation continues and more charges will be filed.

HCSO said the suspect was brought in for questioning on June 4 before he was charged with murder.

He was taken to the Harris County Jail, awaiting his first court appearance.

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