Texas man gets life for stabbing girlfriend 55 times and strangling her teen daughter
10/31/2025 8:00 am PDT
LAREDO, TEXAS (TCN) -- A Texas man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal deaths of his girlfriend and her teenage daughter in 2023.
According to a press release from the Webb County District Attorney’s Office, on the morning of March 6, 2023, Laredo police responding to a call were flagged down by a distraught man screaming “hurry,” and “my sister was killed.” Police then entered a residence and discovered the bodies of Sylvia Ramos, 37, and her daughter Brianna Ramos, 19.
Sylvia Ramos’ boyfriend Rene Mendez, then 39, had allegedly strangled Brianna and then stabbed Sylvia 55 times during a fight. Prosecutors later said he showed no remorse and left the scene to attend a party right after the slayings.
Mendez was arrested at a motel that evening following a reported drug overdose. He was held without bond before trial and underwent mental health screenings. He later claimed in his defense that he “didn’t mean to do it.”
Assistant District Attorney Kassandra de Hoyos described the crime scene as “horrific” and outlined the harrowing impact on the victims’ family members. Following a five-day trial, jurors found Mendez guilty of capital murder of multiple persons on October 24.
The judge imposed an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole. Mendez will serve his sentence at a state penitentiary.
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