HOUSTON – A Houston man pleaded guilty to murder Monday in exchange for a life sentence in prison for fatally shooting a convenience store manager in a game room in South Houston, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Tuesday.
Ogg said Aaron Chisolm, 32, admitted to his role in the robbery and shooting of two men at a convenience store in the 7200 block of Long Drive at about 2:45 a.m. on Feb. 16, 2021. He was the second man to plead guilty in the 2021 murder.
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“This case was solved by law enforcement, but we were able to get justice because civilians who were witnesses in this case were willing to come to court and testify,” Ogg said. “We mourn with the family who lost this beloved uncle and brother to senseless gun violence.”
According to investigators, Chisolm and Dontaee Montrell Holmes, 31, were in the game room of a convenience store when Holmes pulled out a pistol to rob 42-year-old Mahmoud Charkawi, the store manager.
Authorities said another employee, who was coming into the store about the same time, realized Charkawi was being robbed and pulled out his own handgun. Holmes opened fire and a gunfight broke out.
During the shooting, investigators said Charkawi was killed and the man who tried to help him was wounded.
Holmes also pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison in July. Neither man can appeal their convictions or their prison sentences, Ogg said.
Assistant District Attorney Chandler Raine, who was assigned to the DA’s Homicide Division, prosecuted the case with ADA Rachel Guffy of the DA’s Organized Crime Division.
“This was a tragic case, and this is a just resolution that resulted in both men getting life sentences and waiving their right to appeal, so the family finally has some closure,” Raine said. “Unfortunately, legitimate business owners in our county and our state often have these kinds of game rooms without considering that they can have deadly consequences for their employees.”