On February 24, 2023, 20-year-old Angel Gabriel Hernandez was found dead near Grand Avenue and Prairie Avenue in north Harris County, Houston. Construction workers discovered his 2011 Acura on fire; Hernandez’s body was later located about 50 yards away in a wooded area. Investigators determined he had been fatally shot and dragged from the vehicle to the tree line.

Police say Hernandez arranged to meet 18-year-old Javier Gonzalez-Arzate around 1 a.m. that morning to sell marijuana and THC cartridges. Authorities allege Gonzalez-Arzate shot Hernandez, used Hernandez’s phone to text the victim’s girlfriend, Morgan Vershier, to solicit money, moved the body into the passenger seat, drove to a remote field, dragged the body to the woods, and set the Acura on fire. Surveillance footage and cell phone data reportedly placed Gonzalez-Arzate at the scene, and investigators linked his number to a CashApp attempt to receive money from Vershier shortly after the killing.

Gonzalez-Arzate was arrested May 3, 2023, charged with capital murder and initially held without bond; a judge later set bond at $600,000. Hernandez’s family and his girlfriend attended court, and Vershier is raising their daughter Gabriela. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the killing is asked to come forward.