NASSAU BAY, Texas – A Nassau Bay man who was convicted of killing his girlfriend in a jealous rage in 2020 was sentenced Wednesday to serve 25 years in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.
Roger Wayne Douglas, 51, pleaded guilty to murder after prosecutors said he shot and killed 47-year-old Tanya Melton at his apartment, located in the 2000 block of San Sebastian Court, in the early-morning hours of Aug. 1, 2020.
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“This incident of intimate partner violence escalating to murder absolutely did not have to happen,” Ogg said. “This woman was a mother, a grandmother and a big part of her community who had so much life ahead, and it was all taken away by a jealous partner with a gun.”
Melton’s daughter also testified during Douglas’ trial. She said her mother and Douglas dated for about a year and that he had a history of being violent towards Melton. She said the couple had been broken up four months prior to the shooting but were “still friendly.”
On the night of the deadly shooting, prosecutors said Melton and two friends went to Douglas’ apartment complex to go swimming and have drinks with him.
Some time through the night, Douglas went back to his apartment and passed out, according to prosecutors. Melton and a mutual friend, who was a man, went into his bedroom and woke him up. When he woke up, he said, “Where is my gun?”
Douglas allegedly picked up a 9mm semi-automatic pistol off the floor next to his bed and shot Melton in the head. The friend said he tried to wrestle the gun away from him and then fled to call 911.
When officers entered the apartment, they found Douglas sitting next to Melton’s body. An emergency personnel said when they asked Douglas what happened, he replied, “I killed her.”
During the investigation, Douglas admitted to investigators that he and Melton had been arguing about her “cheating” and he shot her.
Assistant District Attorney Anthony Osso, who prosecuted the case, said Douglas and Melton had known each other since their youth and began dating after her marriage ended.
“Roger was a very controlling and jealous individual, and this built up over several months,” Osso said. “This was not sudden passion or an accident because of too much alcohol, and now he’ll spend a significant portion of the rest of his life in prison.”