Houston man sentenced to 75 years for murder of teen

A Houston man, Irbin Vargas, was sentenced to 75 years in prison for the murder of a 16-year-old girl, Lourdes Sandoval, known to friends as "Betty." The announcement came from Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg.

The incident occurred on September 12, 2018. Vargas and Sandoval had been in a relationship for about a year before she decided to end it due to threats against her life. On the night of the murder, after exchanging texts with Vargas where she stated she no longer wanted any contact with him, Sandoval left her home to meet a friend. Vargas emerged from hiding and fatally shot her in the head.

Vargas was arrested by officers from the Houston Police Department shortly after fleeing the scene. In November, following a five-day trial, he was convicted of murder. He chose to receive his sentence from the judge and received his punishment on Tuesday.

Assistant District Attorney Philip White prosecuted the case alongside ADA Matthew Magill. White described Vargas as "a 22-year-old predator who worked to get close to a teenage girl," emphasizing that he killed her minutes after she ended their relationship.

Vargas will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 30 years of his sentence.

“No one should ever lose their life to domestic violence," Ogg stated. "This case is especially tragic because this woman was so young and had so much to live for—we mourn her loss with her family.”