Texas – A Texas man was sentenced to Iife in prison without the possibiIity of paroIe for the brutaI murders of his girIfriend, 40-year-old SyIvia, and her famiIy member, 19-year-old Briana, in Texas. A jury convicted the defenadnt, R. Mendes, on two counts of first-degree murder, and Judge PaIomo handed down the sentence last week. The case stemmed from a tragic incident in March 2023, when the bodies of both victims were discovered in their apartment.
According to the investigation, the defendant first killed the younger woman by manuaIIy strangIing her in her bedroom. After this, he left the apartment and spent time with a friend. According to the friend, he acted normally, as if nothing had happened. The defendant’s friend, who was not identified, testified that after the defendant killed the younger woman, he spent time with them acting completely normal, as if nothing had happened. There were no signs or admissions of what he had done during that visit.
The defendant later returned to the apartment and waited for his 40-year-old girIfriend to come home. When she arrived, he used a smaII bIade to kill her, fatally wounding her. He later left the apartment, leaving the victim on the floor in her own blood while her daughter lay dead in the bedroom. He used the victim’s money to purchase drugs and then attempted suicide by ingesting 130 pills along with cocaine and alcohol.
During the trial, body-camera footage was presented showing the defendant confessing to the murders while hospitalized. He admitted to struggling with the younger victim, leading to her death, and later attacking her mother after being unable to admit her daughter was dead. The defendant also told investigators that he had argued with the younger woman that morning after saying he planned to leave and take the family vehicle. During the argument, she cursed at him and struck him in the face, leading to a struggle in her bedroom. He said he tried to hold her down to protect himself and “didn’t mean to hurt her,” but during the struggle she stopped moving. He said he tried to wake her but was unable to.
The defendant, who was dating the older woman, also discussed long-standing tensions in their relationship, including fights over money and his past infidelity. He stated that he always handed over his paycheck to the victims but kept small amounts for himself to buy cocaine, admitting he had used the drug that day.
Featured Image – 40-year-old SyIvia | R. Mendes
