Witnesses said Luis Casillas begged for his life before he was shot and killed over a repair bill that a group of people refused to pay.
HOUSTON — The man convicted of killing a Houston mechanic just days before Christmas in 2022 learned his fate on Tuesday and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Raudel Orozco, 23, previously had pleaded guilty to the felony murder charge and was facing between 5 and 40 years for killing Luis Casillas at a northside auto shop.
Orozco’s defense attorney said his client went to the shop because he thought his truck had been stolen. They claimed the shooting was an accident, and Orozco was remorseful.
After learning his sentence, Orozco reportedly yelled at the victim’s family in Spanish as he was being taken out of the courtroom that he would be out one day.
Two others were also charged with murder in connection with Casillas’ death.
Rolando Orozco, according to court records, is due in court on May 26 for a pre-trial conference where the DA’s office and his attorneys are expected to consider an offer for the now-25-year-old.
A third man who had been charged with murder had his charge dismissed in September 2024. According to court documents, there was insufficient evidence to pursue the conviction.
Authorities said all three of the suspects fled to Mexico after the shooting but later returned. The weapon used in the murder was never found, and neither was the vehicle.
What happened
Casillas, 29, was shot in the head while begging for his life outside a shop near West Little York Road and the North Freeway on Dec. 23, 2022.
That day, investigators said Casillas got into an argument with a group of men, one of whom owed about $500 for vehicle repairs and refused to pay.
Witnesses said Casillas tried to get away and pleaded with the group not to kill him.
Family members said Casillas planned to use the money they owed him to buy Christmas gifts for his two children, both toddlers.
“He was a father, a son, a brother, an uncle,” Casillas’ sister, Sandy Casillas, said. “He didn’t deserve this. He begged them, ‘I have a family, just take whatever you want.’ And they said ‘no.'”
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