Authorities in Harris County, Texas, have charged a woman with murder after she allegedly ran over her husband with an SUV following a domestic dispute that turned deadly.
According to court documents, 37-year-old Alina Gonzalez was arrested after police say she struck and killed her husband, 42-year-old Leonardo Mendoza, during an argument outside their home.
Investigators report that the couple had been fighting over a text message shortly before the incident. Mendoza reportedly ran outside to get away, but Gonzalez allegedly followed him in a black Chevrolet Tahoe, jumped a curb, hit two poles, and then struck him.
Emergency responders rushed Mendoza to a hospital in Pasadena, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police say the crash appeared to be intentional, based on witness accounts and physical evidence at the scene. Gonzalez was taken into custody shortly after the incident and has since been booked into the Harris County Jail, where she remains held on murder charges.
Neighbors told local reporters that the couple had lived in the area for several years and that arguments between them were not common. “It’s shocking — they seemed like a normal couple,” one resident said. “No one expected something like this to happen.”
The case remains under investigation by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit.
If convicted, Gonzalez could face life in prison