Melissa Dawn Cole, 31, of Houston, Texas, was shot to death on February 4, 2010, at her apartment during an argument with her estranged husband, Jaime Piero Cole. Melissa’s 15-year-old daughter, Alecia Desire Castillo, was also shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. Jaime arrived to drop off the couple’s two sons; after the shooting he fled with the two-year-old.

Jaime Cole was later arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in Wharton County. He told investigators he had bought a .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol the day before the killings, confessed to the shootings at trial, and was convicted and sentenced to death on November 23, 2011.

The case underscores the lethal escalation of domestic violence and its impact on children. Anyone who knew Melissa or Alecia, or who has information about the case, is invited to share what they know.