HOUSTON – Arturo Solis is facing capital murder and possibly death if convicted for the shooting death of a Houston police sergeant.
The 25-year-old has several misdemeanors on his record including one that prohibited him from having a gun.
Solis, who is accused of killing Houston police Sgt. Christopher Brewster should have never had access to one, let alone two guns on December 7th. Channel 2 Investigates obtained several court documents Tuesday, including a 2015 domestic assault plea deal.
Solis was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in 2015, with whom he shares a child. The plea agreement bans him from using or owning a handgun like the one Harris County prosecutors said he emptied on Sgt. Brewster on Saturday. Brewster, 32, was responding to a domestic violence call involving Solis and his girlfriend.
Anthony Osso, Solis’ attorney, along with Solis’ father have said the 25-year-old is mentally ill.
“You know the obvious question to us becomes how does a mentally ill person with a prior domestic conviction get a handgun,” Osso said Monday following a court appearance.
Stephen Barbosa, a neighbor and long-time family friend of Solis, said Solis was often depressed because he lost several jobs.
“I could tell sometimes,” Barbosa said. “They said he had meds (medication) but I’ve never seen him take them. I could tell he was always like just thinking.”
Solis was arrested in 2016 for harassment, according to court documents. The cousin of his ex-girlfriend told police he messaged her 43 times on Facebook in a single day.
Now, Solis is facing the state’s most serious charge, capital murder.
“I hope the best for him and I hope the best for the cop’s family and everybody,” Barbosa said. “It’s like two families are hurting now because of this whole thing.”