Man sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder of Houston woman shot while she was sleeping

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Friday, March 22, 2024
Eyewitness News at 5am - March 22, 2024

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- One of four suspects charged in the murder of a woman who was shot to death while sleeping will spend 20 years in prison.



Andre Colson pleaded guilty to the murder of 20-year-old Sierra Rhodd earlier this year. On Thursday, he received his sentence.



Police say he "intentionally and knowingly" fired shots into Sierra's Cypress home four years ago, in September 2020.



PREVIOUS REPORT: Sierra Rhodd murder: Suspect also charged for unrelated assault count in alleged inmate attack


Xavier Fletcher, one of four men charged with murder in the 2020 death of Sierra Rhodd, posted bond. He originally had his murder bond set at $250,000.


Her then-15-year-old brother was believed to be the target of the shooting.



Colson, along with three other people, was arrested in October 2020, for the murder charge.



The details of Sierra's murder and the aftermath are memorably tragic.



Investigators said the young woman, who had cerebral palsy, was killed when shots were fired into her home. She was asleep at the time.



Her teenage brother, their mother and their father were at home at the time and not injured.



READ MORE: 'You're cowards:' Dad of woman killed in her sleep sends message to suspects


Watch the video above to see what the father had to say to the suspects who shot and killed his daughter while she was sleeping.


A week after Sierra's death, her father, Mike Rhodd, was shot to death during a fight at the home of his in-laws, just hours after a vigil was held for Sierra. His father-in-law said the shooting was in self-defense, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. No arrests were immediately made in that case.



After Mike was shot, his 15-year-old son grabbed a pistol and fired it, investigators said. The teen still had the pistol in his waistband when deputies arrived and had to be tased.



MORE ON THIS STORY:
No probable cause found to charge teen with murder of woman shot in her sleep


"She was my baby," her dad said. "One moment she was there and the next she was gone."

Grandmother of Sierra Rhodd says she's 'living in fear' after family killings


The grandmother of Sierra Rhodd released the first public statement on Monday, Sep. 21, and she's getting for your help. Hit play to hear what the statement read and how you can help turn things around.
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