HOUSTON (TCN) — A 32-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend, a mother of four, approximately a month after they broke up.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Dec. 18 that a jury found Daniel Chacon guilty of capital murder in connection with the death of 38-year-old Maira Gutierrez. Chacon received an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole.
According to prosecutors, Chacon had temporary custody of his and Gutierrez’s 6-month-old baby, who lived with the defendant and his new girlfriend. The new girlfriend was reportedly pregnant and shares an older child with Chacon.
Gutierrez often went to Chacon’s apartment to visit their child while her ex was at work, usually at 9 a.m.
On Oct. 3, 2022, Gutierrez visited her baby while Chacon wasn’t home. The defendant reportedly “placed a phone call to order Gutierrez to abruptly stop her visit and leave the apartment.”
Gutierrez returned to her vehicle in the apartment complex parking lot, where her ex-boyfriend was waiting in the backseat with a gun. According to prosecutors, witnesses later heard Gutierrez yelling for help and observed Chacon chasing the victim.
Chacon reportedly forced Gutierrez into the backseat of her car, threatening her with the gun. He allegedly entered the driver’s seat and sped off as neighbors called law enforcement. Authorities tracked Gutierrez’s phone around 13 miles away from the apartment complex. Officials responded and found Gutierrez inside her vehicle with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. After killing Gutierrez, Chacon fled to Mexico but later turned himself in.
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Dupont said, “This was always about Daniel Chacon trying to control Maira, taking advantage of the system to lie, make false statements and play games with her over custody of her child. We believe he killed her because he was about to lose that leverage because she was doing everything right.”
Assistant District Attorney Mary McFaden added that “Chacon had a history of violence against women that escalated until he killed Gutierrez.”