A Texas teenager accused of carrying out a brutal triple murder after a breakup will now face trial as an adult, according to a recent court ruling.
A judge in Ector County has certified that Damien Gabriel Valdez will be prosecuted in adult court for the December 2025 killings that shocked the Odessa community. The teen is currently facing one count of capital murder of multiple persons.
Authorities say Valdez was just 15 years old when he allegedly shot and killed three members of his ex-girlfriend’s family inside their apartment.
Police say the violence followed the end of Valdez’s relationship with a 15-year-old girl. Investigators believe the teen originally planned to shoot his ex-girlfriend outside her school but later changed his plan.
Instead, authorities say he went to her family’s apartment, where several of her relatives were home at the time.
According to police, Valdez allegedly shot and killed 39-year-old Jessica Rodriguez, the girl’s mother. Investigators say he then turned the gun on the girl’s younger siblings — a 9-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl — before fleeing the scene on foot.
Officers with the Odessa Police Department responded to reports of gunfire around 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 9 at the 87th Street Apartments on Hunter Miller Way.
When police arrived at the residence, they found all three victims dead inside.
Authorities launched a search and located Valdez roughly 40 minutes later walking along Andrews Highway, according to Odessa Police Chief Mike Gerke.
Police say officers recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the killings, though investigators have not said how the teenager obtained the weapon.
Officials have also not confirmed whether the ex-girlfriend was inside the apartment at the time of the shooting.
Following his arrest, Valdez was initially held at the Ector County Youth Center while prosecutors worked to transfer the case into adult court.
During a certification hearing this week, a judge ruled the severity of the alleged crime warranted trying the teen as an adult.
Under Texas law, defendants who were under 18 at the time of a capital murder involving multiple victims can face life in prison if convicted.
Odessa Police Chief Mike Gerke previously described the attack as deliberate and deeply traumatic for the community.
“It was such a tragic and cowardly act of violence,” Gerke said during a news briefing shortly after the murders. “It’s the kind of thing that really marks a community. Particularly in the holiday season, it’s a hurtful, horrible thing.”
With the ruling now finalized, the case will move forward through the adult criminal justice system. Prosecutors say the next step will be presenting the case to a grand jury.
THE COURT NEED OT SENTENCE THIS PIECE OF SHIT VALDEZ TO DEATH BY HIS SCRAWNEY NECK LET HIM SWING ON A LONG STRONG NYLON ROPE TILL HE IS DEAD.