17-year-old Texas girl charged with capital murder for movie theater shooting
HOUSTON -- A 17-year-old girl has been charged with capital murder in connection with a fatal shooting at a movie theater on New Year's Day.
Police have arrested Faith DeLeon, a student at North Shore High School, in connection with the death of Daniel Gerding during an attempted robbery gone wrong behind the Studio Movie Grill in northwest Harris County.
According to court documents, DeLeon was at a party with a 16-year-old on the night of the shooting. DeLeon said the unidentified teen asked her to set up drug dealers she knew that would be robbed under the guise of a drug purchase.
DeLeon set up the meeting with two men, identified by authorities as Daniel Gerding and Colyn Timmons, who met her and the teen in the Studio Movie Grill parking lot later that evening.
Authorities identified DeLeon using cellphone records of the call allegedly used to set up the meeting.
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Outside of the theater, the four got into a Toyota Camry to complete the deal. DeLeon said Gerding pulled out one gram of marijuana, and she asked him where the rest of the agreed upon drugs were.
The 16-year-old allegedly pulled out a gun, grabbed Gerding by the shirt and threatened him. Gerding then tried to exit the vehicle, but DeLeon said the teen shot him twice in the back before he was able to escape.
DeLeon told police that the teen then shot Timmons in the face before she and the teen exited the vehicle and ran back to their truck.
The 16-year-old allegedly threatened DeLeon and told her to "forget this ever happened."
Gerding was pronounced dead at Cy Fair Medical Center, and Timmons was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in stable condition.
Authorities identified the unidentified teen by matching shell casings found at the scene of the murder with those collected from an aggravated assault investigation in Jersey Village.
Timmons then positively identified a photograph of the teen.
DeLeon said she knew the teen had planned to rob Gerding and Timmons, but she did not know that the teen was armed.
A witness, however, placed DeLeon at the scene of the alleged aggravated assault in Jersey Village. Police say the teen shot another victim, giving investigators cause to believe that DeLeon knew the teen was armed.
