A 19-year-old North Texas man was sentenced to life in prison for the 2019 murder of his girlfriend but could be freed before his 50th birthday.
According to police, 17-year-old Johanna Sierra was fatally shot outside the couple's apartment on the 7700 block of McCallum Boulevard at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2022.
Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said in a statement Monday morning that 19-year-old Armando Diaz, Jr. pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his girlfriend 10 times with a modified fully automatic .45 Glock pistol.
"This man brutally shot his defenseless, teenaged girlfriend 10 times, at least four times while she was on the ground in a fetal position. And the jury rightly saw through his lack of remorse," said Willis.
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Police officer Arnet Brantley was the first officer on the scene and testified Sierra was still alive when he got there but that she died as he was providing first aid.
According to the district attorney's office, Diaz said he and his girlfriend had been arguing and he was intoxicated at the time of the shooting. Diaz left the scene after the shooting but surrendered to police four days later and eventually confessed to killing Sierra.
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Investigators said Sierra and Diaz had been living together under a lease in Diaz's mother's name. Prosecutors said Diaz's mother was aware of the murder and helped Diaz escape without calling 911. It's not clear if Diaz's mother will face any charges in the case.
A Collin County jury sentenced Diaz to life in prison, though he will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years.
