Texas man sentenced for holding his girlfriend's 16-year-old daughter captive and killing her
10/22/2024 12:50 pm PDT
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (TCN) -- A 62-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for holding his girlfriend’s underage daughter captive and fatally shooting her while trying to rape her.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Oct. 19 that a jury convicted Van Henry Brisbon of the capital murder of Lauren Juma. He automatically received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
On April 29, 2022, Juma, a student at Nimitz High School, had FaceTimed her mother and sister and told them Brisbon "was acting 'weird.'" Her mother was out of town for work at the time and sent the victim’s older sister to pick up Juma. The sister went to the home, where she allegedly saw Brisbon holding the victim hostage at gunpoint.
According to an initial press release from Harris County Ed Gonzalez, deputies responded and heard gunshots from outside the front door. Brisbon reportedly exited the residence, and authorities took him into custody. Investigators located Juma deceased with apparent gunshot wounds and recovered a 9 mm handgun allegedly used to kill Juma. Prosecutors said officials also determined Brisbon had tried to rape Juma.
In a statement, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said, "This defendant was a predator with a gun, and his choice to hurt a young girl and take her life was senseless and horrific. He not only took a promising young woman’s life, his actions have destroyed a family."
Assistant District Attorney Katie Warren commented, "Our jury heard bodycam recordings of the victim’s screams, cries for help, and then gunshots, which were not easy to listen to."
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