An apparent custody dispute turned deadly when a Texas man allegedly drove across the state and fatally shot the couple who had adopted his seven-year-old daughter, authorities said.
Norman Lee Johnson, 42, is charged with murder in the killings of Christopher Lopez, 52, and his wife, Trinette Lopez, 52, who were found shot to death on January 12 inside their home in Katy, Texas, KPRC reported.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said investigators believe the motive stemmed from ongoing custody conflicts involving the little girl, who is the biological child of Johnson. Johnson is also a cousin of Trinette Lopez, according to family members.
On January 12, deputies were called to the home on Bent Springs Lane shortly after 6 a.m. when one of the couple’s adult children reported finding their parents had been shot.
Christopher Lopez was found in the main living area with a gunshot wound to the face and Trinette Lopez was found near the kitchen, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined, according to KPRC. She had been shot twice in the head and had a gunshot wound to her left hand. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The couple’s two adult children and the seven-year-old girl were asleep upstairs at the time of the shootings and were not harmed, officials said. There were no signs of forced entry into the two-story home and no weapon was recovered from the scene.
Following an investigation, Johnson was named a suspect in the killings, and members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Task Force arrested him in Round Rock on Tuesday. He was booked into the Williamson County Jail and is expected to be transferred to Harris County.
Investigators believe Johnson drove from Round Rock, where he lived, to Katy, about two-and-a-half hours by car, to carry out the killings. There was a history of dispute between the suspect and the victims, according to officials, who said Johnson had a prior criminal case involving the couple.
In October 2024, he was charged with harassment after allegedly threatening the family. According to court records from that case, Johnson threatened to kill Christopher Lopez and another family member after being denied access to his daughter without going through child protective services, KPRC reported.
The threatened family member then told authorities that Johnson had a violent criminal history and that another law enforcement agency had recently responded to a home after Johnson allegedly assaulted that relative.
The couple’s children told KHOU11 that their parents were high school sweethearts who had lived in their home since 2000. They described their mother as a caring person who was like a mom to many of their friends.
“Detective Mace worked hard to help bring our parents’ killer into custody,” Kristina and Jonathan Rayson said in a statement to KHOU 11.
“We hope that he is charged to the fullest extent of the law. Our parents deserve justice and to know that we are safe from his harm.”
