Joseph Carter was a 54-year-old Black man from El Paso, Texas, remembered by a neighbor as a nice, calm person who would frequently stop to say hello. His life was cut short in October 2023 following a violent dispute in his Lower Valley neighborhood.
The incident occurred on the morning of October 13, 2023, on the 7600 block of Parral Drive. Authorities reported that there had been ongoing issues between neighbors. That morning, an argument escalated to gunfire. Surveillance video showed 68-year-old Mario Velazquez Lechuga, who lived across the street, approach Joseph Carter in his own yard and shoot him. Carter managed to retreat into his home for help. Minutes later, Velazquez emerged from his house again, walked across the street, and shot Carter’s 62-year-old cousin, James Burton, as he stood outside with another neighbor. Velazquez also fired at the third neighbor, who was not injured.
Both Carter and Burton, who were cousins, were rushed to local hospitals.
Burton was pronounced dead that same day. Carter, who was initially reported to have non-life-threatening injuries, underwent surgery but succumbed to his injuries a week later on October 20, 2023.
Police arrested Mario Velazquez Lechuga and initially charged him with murder for the death of James Burton. After Carter also passed away, the El Paso District Attorney’s office worked to enhance the charge to capital murder. Velazquez also faced a charge of aggravated assault for shooting at the third neighbor.
The case went to trial in the 34th District Court, where prosecutors presented key evidence, including the surveillance footage from Velazquez's home that captured the attacks. The jury also heard a 911 call placed by James Burton after he saw Velazquez armed with a gun. The recording captured Burton’s description of the scene just before gunshots rang out and he could be heard screaming that he had been shot.
On February 24, 2026, after six days of testimony and three hours of deliberation, a jury rejected the defendant’s claim of self-defense. They found the now 70-year-old Mario Lechuga Velazquez guilty of capital murder for the shooting deaths of Joseph Carter and James Burton, and guilty of aggravated assault. Velazquez received an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. As of February 2026, the case is resolved.
