17-year-old is charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of stalking victim’s stepfather, records say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A 17-year-old is accused of stalking a girl who rejected him and then murdering her stepfather during an argument, according to court documents.

Cristian Gasca Martinez is in custody on murder charges awaiting his first court appearance, records show.

On August 10, 37-year-old Oswaldo “Wally” Casas was shot and killed near his home on Loper Street in southeast Houston. Casas’ family said they believe he was dealing with possible vandals.

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Now police believe one of them was Martinez, desperate to get the attention of Casas’ 16-year-old stepdaughter, whom he had been stalking, her family said. They showed ABC13 a call log Friday night that included dozens of anonymous calls.

“He was upset that my daughter basically didn’t want to go out with him,” said Judith Molina, Casas’ widow.

On the morning of the shooting, Casas went outside to investigate a suspicious vehicle and instead of fleeing, police said Martinez shot the father of three.

Martinez was arrested Thursday afternoon.

“I said, ‘Thank you, God. Thank God. Thank you to the detective for doing his job,'” said Blanca Aguirre, Casas’ mother.

Molina, who was pregnant at the time, performed CPR on her husband that night. She said her baby son, Orlando, was born a few days later.

The family said there may have been other people who accompanied Martinez that evening. They said they hope everyone involved will be charged.

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Prosecutors are asking for $250,000 bail for Martinez, citing public safety concerns and the suspected motive in the case.

“The accused shot the complainant in retaliation for being rejected by the complainant’s 16-year-old daughter, whom the accused had been pursuing. A high bond is warranted,” court records state.

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