ATASCOCITA, Texas – Yamil Javier Rivera-Perez, 34, was denied bond after being charged with the capital murder of two victims in Harris County. Rivera-Perez is accused of shooting 26-year-old Charity Freeman and 30-year-old Alejandro Suarez on Monday.
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, deputies with the Precinct 4 Constable’s Office responded to a 911 call reporting a shooting at a home in the 8000 block of Rebawood Drive in Atascocita around 10:46 PM.
When they arrived, deputies discovered Suarez lying unconscious from gunshot wounds. EMS personnel arrived shortly after and pronounced him dead at the scene. Freeman, a 26-year-old woman, had already been rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was also pronounced dead.
The investigation, led by Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators, quickly identified Rivera-Perez as the suspected shooter.
Detectives discovered that Rivera-Perez and Freeman had recently ended an abusive relationship. Freeman’s family said she and Rivera-Perez had dated for a few months before ending things last year.
Authorities believe Rivera-Perez forced his way into the home, shooting and killing both Freeman and Suarez during the same incident.
Freeman’s family tells KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun she leaves behind two young children, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. They are now with their grandmother. The Freeman family says they’re trying to connect with Suarez’s family.
Freeman’s brother tells KPRC 2 he was at the home when Rivera-Perez kicked in the gate to the home, rushed up the stairs to the second floor and shot the two.
The brother, who didn’t want to go on camera, says he was downstairs with Freeman’s two children.
Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting as more details emerge. While authorities have not disclosed specific motives, the connection between the suspect and Freeman’s past abusive relationship appears to be central to the case.
As of now, Rivera-Perez remains in custody without bond.
