Bryan J. Fernandez Hernandez, inset, allegedly murdered his mom, sister and brother-in-law in Houston, then told cops the relatives were burglars. (Mug shot: Houston police; Screengrab: KTRK/YouTube)
After a man allegedly shot three people to death, he told Texas cops he was defending himself during a home invasion. But officers say they quickly determined that was a lie as the victims were relatives who were staying with him.
Bryan J. Fernandez Hernandez, 27, called Houston police shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday to report a home invasion at his home in the 10500 block of Hammerly Boulevard, a press release said. He said he shot the three supposed burglars inside his apartment. Officers went inside to find two women and a man dead.
Detectives spoke with Hernandez who reiterated his story about the home invasion, claiming he shot the three people in self-defense. But “further investigation and evidence from the scene” revealed there was no such home invasion and he had actually murdered his mother, sister and brother-in-law, according to cops. His mother, 65-year-old Leonor Hernandez, lived with him at the home. His sister 43-year-old Karen Herrera and her husband, 38-year-old Thomas Kupriakov, had been visiting for the last several days prior to the shooting, police say.
Now Hernandez is facing three counts of capital murder.
“The home invasion deal, it’s not true. My mom, sister, and her husband were all executed in their apartment,” the suspect’s half brother Carlos Flores told local ABC affiliate KTRK.
Houston cops had reportedly responded to the home two previous times since last year, both for mental health calls involving Hernandez.
“My mom fought with all of us because of him. She always trying to protect him and that’s where it got her,” Flores said.
According to Flores, Hernandez could be violent.
“My brother needs to pay for what he did, and he needs to assume the consequences and take charge of that,” he told the outlet.
Hernandez is at the Harris County Jail without bond. His next court date is scheduled for July 24.
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