Houston woman sentenced for breaking into mother's home and stabbing her to death
11/06/2023 3:15 pm PST
HOUSTON (TCD) -- A 31-year-old woman will spend 30 years in prison for breaking into her mother's home and killing her in 2021.
On Friday, Nov. 3, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced that Ericka McDonald pleaded guilty to the 2021 murder of 51-year-old Terri Mendoza at her apartment on Willow Place Drive.
On Aug. 16, 2021, McDonald reportedly broke into her mother's apartment through a window, wearing a mask and black clothes. Ogg said McDonald fatally stabbed Mendoza before leaving, changing her clothes, and returning to the scene.
When McDonald came back to her mother's home, she "pretended she did not know what happened."
According to Ogg, a witness identified the suspect as McDonald, and Houston Police apprehended her.
McDonald cannot appeal the conviction and will have to serve at least half of her sentence before she will be eligible for parole.
Ogg said in a statement, "This is a tragic case and should not have happened, but prosecutors with our Homicide Division were able to get justice for the victim."
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