Houston Man Pleads Guilty To Roommate's Murder

CONROE, TX — A man who investigators said drove around with his victim's rotting corpse in his car will spend the next 50 years in prison.

Brayan Rodriguez-Valtierra, 19, pleaded guilty to the murder of Pete Figueroa Jr., 67, whose body was found inside Rodriguez-Valtierra's car, parked at a Captain D's Restaurant in Porter in February 2017.

Figueroa had been shot once in the face and strangled.

Prosecutors said that Figueroa and Rodriguez-Valtierra had been roommates and shared an apartment in northwest Harris County, until Figueroa asked him to leave.

Figueroa was last seen alive on Feb. 3, four days before his body was found.

Authorities were tipped off after a motorist stopped to help Rodriguez-Valtierra, who had been driving on his rims on a northbound feeder road off U.S. 59 in Porter.

The driver who helped Rodriguez-Valtierra called 911 after Rodriguez-Valtierra told him there was a body in his car.

The driver dropped Rodriguez-Valtierra off at a gas station and then called 911

Police found Figueroa's body a short time later in Rodriguez-Valtierra's car, and also learned that Rodriguez-Valtierra had made several withdrawals from Figueroa's bank account after he died.

Rodriguez-Valtierra was arrested several days later in Liberty County and booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

As part of his plea, Rodriguez-Valtierra will not be eligible for appeal.

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• Houston Man Who Drove Around With Victim's Body In His Car, Charged with Murder

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