A Texas teenager has been found guilty of capital murder for the shocking killing of his girlfriend’s grandmother.
Eighteen-year-old Uriah Lee Urick Jr. was convicted Friday, Nov. 7, in Galveston County following the February murder of 61-year-old Tammy King. In Texas, a capital murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence without parole.
According to prosecutors, Urick and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Tara King, spent weeks planning the crime. Court evidence, including text messages, revealed the teens plotted to rob and kill Tammy, discussing kidnapping her, stealing money, meth, and firearms, and even claiming they would “kill her at 4” and “ride at dawn.” Urick reportedly called the murder “the start of the rest of our lives.”
Tammy King was shot in the head on Feb. 5 at her home in Bacliff, just outside Galveston. Her body was found under a pile of blankets during a welfare check several days later. Investigators say the teens stole money from a lockbox and transferred funds from Tammy’s bank account to Tara’s Cash App, turning the crime into capital murder.
Court documents revealed that Urick’s mother told police she believed her son was capable of murder, and that Tara “hated” her grandmother because she wouldn’t let Urick spend the night at the house. His stepfather also described Urick as having violent tendencies.
After the killing, the teens fled, hitching rides and staying with people they met through social media. They were eventually arrested in Laredo, Texas, on Feb. 9. A cooperating witness who had given them a ride to a homeless shelter said Urick offered him $1,000 and admitted he “couldn’t get the smell of burning flesh” out of his nose. The witness later helped authorities locate the murder weapons.
Urick’s defense attorney argued the crime wasn’t premeditated, describing the teens as “naive, drug-influenced” and chasing independence, not money. Prosecutors, however, highlighted the detailed planning and digital evidence that led to the conviction.
Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen said, “Justice has been served for Tammy King and her loved ones.”
Tara King has also been charged with capital murder and is scheduled to stand trial in January 2026.
He took an innocent woman’s life.Why dies he deserve to be walking still