Houston man gets life sentence for string of 2021 crimes, murders

A brother was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after a multi-day crime spree in 2021 left one man dead and another injured.

Following a five-day trial, Alexis Salvador Ordonez, 22, was convicted of murdering Cameron B. Stevens, 19, at a Cypress Station apartment complex on February 6, 2021 and life sentence.

Although Stevens did not know Ordonez or his younger brother, Kevin Ordonez, he was trying to buy them a handgun and agreed to meet them late at night at the well-lit apartment complex.

Stevens began to drift away when the deal fell through with the Ordonez brothers, who were driving a white 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. As Stevens returned to his apartment, the brothers slowly approached him, shot him and hit him once in the head, killing him.

SEE ALSO: Teenager dead after drug deal turns fatal at W Houston

Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the murder and began investigating, pulling surveillance video from several cameras in the area.

Surveillance video revealed the car’s license plate, linking it to an armed robbery that occurred the day before. In that incident, the Ordonez brothers, posing as marijuana buyers, robbed a man and woman of their money, marijuana and vehicle, shooting the man in the leg. He survived the shooting.

Although the charges against Alexander Ordonez for these two robberies were dropped after his murder conviction, the details were presented during the sentencing phase to allow the judge to fully understand the crime spree.

Several charges, including murder, are still being filed against Kevin Ordonez, 20, for his role in this crime spree. His trial is scheduled for October.

“Connecting online with strangers to buy and sell things during in-person meetings is such an integral part of our culture that thieves and criminals use this process to take advantage of innocent people,” Ogg said in a press release . “We must remember to remain vigilant and try to put protective measures in place, even for transactions that occur quickly or late at night. »

Assistant District Attorneys Gilbert Sawtelle, who is chief of the trial office, and Sean Kozar-King prosecuted Ordonez.

“These two brothers were working together in this scheme to trap innocent people who thought they were buying or selling something and ended up being robbed at gunpoint,” Sawtelle said in a press release. “It’s a scary thing for any citizen of Harris County because these kinds of encounters, whether it’s Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, happen all the time, and the last thing anyone wants is is to be robbed or shot.”

He stressed that there was no evidence that anyone was shot in either shooting.

“Those shots were unnecessary,” Sawtelle said. “They got what they wanted and there was no need to shoot anyone.”

SEE ALSO: Teen struck and killed by vehicle after failing to use crosswalk in southwest Houston

Sawtelle recommended that buyers and sellers bring someone with them, meet in a public place during the day and remain vigilant. He noted that many police stations and other law enforcement agencies provide designated areas for secure transactions.