HOUSTON – New details were revealed in court Wednesday morning surrounding a love triangle that ended with a 16-year-old girl being shot 22 times by her 17-year-old boyfriend, according to investigators.
The boyfriend, Frank Deleon Jr., is accused of shooting Diamond Alvarez in a southwest Houston neighborhood on the night of Jan. 11. He was arrested Monday and charged with murder. He was released the next day after posting a $250,000 bond.
READ: Teen suspect accused of shooting 16-year-old 22 times free on bond, court records say
Details surrounding the alleged shooting and his previous relationships were read aloud in court.
Prosecutors said Deleon pulled out a gun on Alvarez and another girlfriend at separate times during their relationship. They also said, at the time of his arrest, officers found a suitcase packed with clothes and toiletries, “proving he wasn’t going on a short trip.”
Alvarez’s family details relationship
Alvarez’s sister stated that her sister and Deleon Jr. were dating for about six months, but it had ended. The two sent text messages on Sunday, Jan. 9, where the suspect begged Alvarez to not tell the other girl about the relationship, texting multiple times, “Don’t ruin this for me.”
When the victim and suspect agreed to meet around 9:30 p.m. at a park located in the 15400 block of Park Manor, her sister told the victim to not meet him.
The victim texted her sister, “We came to the field. I told him, I would only talk to him in the field,” according to prosecutors.
Alvarez’s family said she was outside walking the family dog, “Peanut,” when they heard gunshots. Her parents became concerned and her mother dialed her phone, but received no response. Alvarez’s mother and stepfather then went outside and found Peanut alone. Immediately, they knew something was wrong.
After searching the neighborhood, they found Alvarez lying in a field.
Prosecutors said 10 shell casings were found near the victim’s body. Most of the gunshot wounds were consistent with the victim lying on her back when hit.
Suspect claims Alvarez was stalking him before the shooting
In court, Deleon Jr. said he and Alvarez were “kind of seeing each other.” He also claimed the victim was stalking him, saying he had not spoken with her since Jan. 8. He told investigators the night of the shooting that he was walking to a convenience store but stopped.
“He recently owned a 9mm gun,” prosecutors said but Deleon said he got rid of it before New Year’s.
Second girlfriend makes claim of violence
Prosecutors said the girlfriend confirmed that there was an altercation at a Quinceañera. She told investigators that she texted the victim the day of the deadly shooting about the relationship with the suspect. She told officers that she sent the suspect screenshots of this conversation. The girlfriend says the suspect was violent with her, also pulling out a gun on her.