Toddlers were in apartment as man shot, killed his common-law wife, Texas sheriff says

When a 27-year-old man shot and killed his common-law wife, their two young children were inside the apartment, a Texas sheriff says.

The man has since been charged with her shooting death, according to a Twitter thread from Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Deputies were called to the apartment complex in northeast Houston shortly before 11 p.m. Monday, Nov. 22, the sheriff said. When they arrived, the 24-year-old woman was found dead with an “apparent gunshot wound.”

Her common-law husband originally told investigators that she had “shot herself during an argument,” Gonzalez said, but he was later charged in the fatal shooting.

Authorities said the couple was fighting over text messages found on the man’s phone, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The couple’s 3-year-old daughter and 20-month-old son were not hurt and have since been released to family members, Gonzalez tweeted.

The man was booked into the Harris County Jail.

In Texas, a common law marriage is “a valid and legal way for a couple to marry” without the formalities of a traditional marriage, according to the Texas State Law Library. For a common law marriage to be recognized, the couple must “agree to be married,” live together in Texas as a husband and wife, and represent themselves as married to others.

This story was originally published November 23, 2021 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Toddlers were in apartment as man shot, killed his common-law wife, Texas sheriff says."