A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the death of his father, Samson Hernandez, 35. Police said officers were called to a family disturbance on the 21400 block of Sagrantino Court in west Harris County around 3:45 a.m. on May 5, after a woman called 911.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office said Hernandez, who was the woman's estranged husband and no longer lived at the home, got into an altercation with her boyfriend. The sheriff's office said the fight moved into the front yard, and the couple's son stepped in and put his father in a chokehold until police arrived. Hernandez died from the chokehold. The teen was charged Thursday.
The teen's great-aunt, Kandice Stofel, said the family believes the boy was trying to protect his mother and that it was a case of self-defense. Stofel said she was not at the scene. She said neither the sheriff's office nor the district attorney's office has explained the murder charge, and that she had expected a manslaughter charge. The sheriff's office said the facts were presented to the district attorney's office, which filed the murder charge. The agency declined to share more details because the defendant is a juvenile.
As of Friday night, the teen was being held at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center. He is awaiting his first court appearance.