18-year-old will be put on trial in 2024 for his mom's murder if he doesn't take plea deal: Judge

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The Humble teenager accused of killing his mother before fleeing to Nebraska appeared before a judge on Monday.

There were no cameras allowed in the courtroom as Tyler Roenz was briefly brought before the judge as he was offered a plea deal.

The prosecution offered Roenz a plea deal, which would be to spend 50 years in a Texas prison for the murder of his mother and 10 years for the attempted sexual assault he's charged with. If Roenz takes that plea deal, prosecutors would also drop the charges for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and tampering with evidence in exchange for a guilty plea.

This all stems from what happened in October 2022 when Roenz, who was 17 at the time, and his mother, Michelle, who was 49, were reported missing from their home in Humble.

According to charging documents, Roenz's father told investigators that his wife and son were missing, that their car was gone, and that he had also found a human tooth and blood in the garage.

A CLEAR Alert was issued for both of them. Shortly after the alert, police in Nebraska spotted the car, tried to pull the driver over, but Roenz took off, starting a chase that ended in a crash.

Troopers found Roenz behind the wheel of the car and his mother dead in the trunk.

If he does not take the plea deal offered on Monday, they will be back in court on Nov. 1 and will likely pick a trial date then. The judge said if there is a trial, it would take place in early 2024.

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