Ernest TJ Lee Travis Jr., a 31-year-old Hispanic man known affectionately to friends and family as “TJ,” was a beloved father, son, and brother from Pasadena, Texas. Born in Pasadena on August 15, 1988, TJ was the son of Maria Isabel Amador and the late Ernest Lee Travis Sr. He was a father to six children: Christian, Cole, Isabel, Seth, Steven, and Allison Jane. His loved ones remember him as a cherished part of a large family, which included his mother, three siblings, grandparents, and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Tragically, TJ had also experienced the loss of his own son, Ernest Lee Travis III, before his own life was cut short.
The final day of TJ’s life was November 23, 2019. On that Saturday morning, he was in the parking lot of a thrift store in Pasadena when he noticed a couple, Robert Alexander Tuft and his girlfriend, Mary Thigpen, who were having car trouble.
The pair had slept in their non-operational car overnight after Thigpen had accidentally disabled it. TJ approached them and offered to help. He spent some time working on the vehicle, and at one point, he and Tuft went to an auto parts store together. After they returned, an argument broke out between TJ and Tuft. The dispute escalated with tragic speed, and Tuft fatally shot TJ. Police were called to the scene, where they found TJ suffering from gunshot wounds. He died there in the parking lot.
The Pasadena Police Department investigated the homicide. The man who shot TJ, Robert Alexander Tuft, was arrested and charged with murder. During the subsequent trial in the 179th District Court of Harris County, Tuft claimed he had acted in self-defense. Thigpen testified that she and Tuft had been using drugs while waiting for help with their car. The jury considered the evidence presented and ultimately rejected Tuft's claim of self-defense, finding him guilty of the first-degree felony of murder.
Following the guilty verdict, the court proceeded to the punishment phase. It was revealed that Tuft had a prior conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Taking his criminal history into account, the trial court assessed his punishment at 45 years of imprisonment. In August 2023, Tuft challenged his conviction in the Fourteenth Court of Appeals, arguing issues that included insufficient evidence to reject his self-defense claim, ineffective assistance of counsel, and errors in the jury charge. The appellate court reviewed the case and, on August 31, 2023, affirmed the original judgment and sentence, finding no merit in the appeal.
In the wake of their devastating loss, TJ's family held a service to celebrate his life and legacy on December 11, 2019, at South Houston Funeral Home. Friends and family gathered to honor the memory of a man who left behind a large and loving family. The case is now considered closed, with Robert Alexander Tuft serving his 45-year sentence for the murder of Ernest TJ Lee Travis Jr.
