HOUSTON – Documents reveal a disturbing chain of events that investigators said led a man to fatally shoot his newborn daughter’s mother at their Houston apartment, then flee with the baby to Austin, where he turned himself in.
James Christopher Ochoa, 33, has been charged with murder.
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Details outlined in the document show how, allegedly, an argument over a Mother’s Day dinner led to the death of Vicktoria Josephina Robles, whose child must now grow up without her.
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According to investigators, on May 9, Ochoa drove from Houston to his mother’s home in Austin, Texas. He arrived around 5 a.m. with the infant and told his mother, “Don’t be afraid, but Vicktoria is dead.”
Ochoa told his mother that he and Robles were arguing over a Mother’s Day dinner on the night before and that Robles ran into the bedroom and grabbed a semi-automatic pistol. Ochoa then said he and Robles were “tussling” when he grabbed another one of their handguns and shot her in self-defense, investigators said.
Ochoa said he then took both of the weapons, grabbed their daughter and drove to his mom’s house.
After the mother heard what happened, she insisted that he turn himself in. He took a shower and the two of them drove together to the Cedar Park Police Department Headquarters, documents state.
After reporting what happened, police in Houston were dispatched to the couple’s home at 8181 El Mundo near NRG Center. Patrol officers arrived shortly before 8 a.m. and were given access to the unit by the property manager. Officers found the 32-year-old victim lying dead in the bedroom. She had been shot in the temple, police said.
According to documents, a detective noted that there did not appear to have been any struggle and found a single spent 5.7 x 28 mm shell casing approximately 8 to 10 feet away from Robles’ body. The detective also observed that Robles had a cellphone in her right hand and was lying face down on the floor next to the bed. The detective surmised that she had been shot from a distance.
Investigators searched records to see if there were any prior complaints or reports of violence. They discovered that Ochoa had been previously arrested in 2021 for assault of a pregnant person. That complaint was also involving violence against Robles, and happened at the same apartment unit. The report stated that Ochoa pushed Robles “to the wall by her face with both of his open hands,” causing her mouth to bleed. The report said Robles was six weeks pregnant at the time.
Homicide detectives determined that the shooting was intentional and authorities moved forward with charges.
“This death is another tragic reminder of how volatile domestic violence can be,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “Unfortunately, sometimes the person closest to us poses the greatest risk to our well-being. The facts of this matter are terribly troubling and heartbreaking.”