Man says 'I did it' after girlfriend found shot to death in northeast Houston, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man confessed to shooting and killing a woman he had just recently started dating in northeast Houston overnight, according to police.

Santiago Vallejo, Jr., 39, is charged with murder after admitting his role in the shooting, police said.

Houston police said one of the woman's sons was home when the shooting happened.

HPD responded to the home in the 8200 block of Sandra Street in the Trinity Gardens area around 9:45 p.m. Thursday.

When officers arrived, the man was reportedly standing in the driveway surrendering. They said he held his hands up in the air, saying he "did it." The suspect is the one who called 911, officials said.

The man was quickly detained and a handgun was recovered, HPD said.

A 39-year-old woman was found dead in the driveway with a gunshot wound. Investigators believe just one shot was fired.

ABC13 reporter Courtney Carpenter spoke with the woman's ex-husband, the father of her two children, who was emotional and shocked that this happened.

The suspect allegedly told officers that he didn't mean to kill her and that he tried to do CPR, but it was too late.

From what police have gathered so far, they believe the man and woman had been in a relationship for a few weeks and were in the process of moving in.

"My understanding is that they had been together for less than a month and apparently it stemmed over jealousy," Lt. Ignacio Izaguirre said.

HPD said the woman's son, who is 14 years old, was home when the shooting happened. He reportedly heard the gunshot but didn't see what happened.

The woman's ex-husband said their older son also lives there but wasn't home at the time of the shooting.

Izaguirre asked for prayers for the 14-year-old and the rest of his family.

ABC13 spotted the man who owns the home cleaning up after what happened. He said the woman's move in date was July 10 -- not even two weeks ago.

Vallejo, later identified as the suspect, was transported to the Harris County Joint Processing Center.

For more news updates, follow Courtney Carpenter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.