A 42-year-old man accused of invading a Houston metro area home and shooting a married couple to death while their three children slept upstairs has been arrested on the outskirts of Austin.
Investigators say the suspected attacker is the biological father of the youngest of the children, who has been the subject of a years-long custody dispute.
Highlights
- A man was arrested for killing a Houston couple during an apparent home invasion while their children slept upstairs.
- The suspect is the biological father of the couple's adopted daughter, linked to a long custody dispute.
- The victims, Christopher Lopez and Trinette Rayson-Lopez, both 52, were found shot inside their Texas home.
- 42-year-old suspect Norman Lee Johnson drove 140 miles from Round Rock to Harris County to commit the attack.
- The family says they raised Johnson's daughter after losing custody, but tensions never ended.
He had apparently previously made death threats against at least one of the victims before the January 12 attack.
A Texas married couple was shot to death in their home while their children slept upstairs
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the victims, Christopher Lopez and Trinette Rayson-Lopez, both 52, were found shot to death on the first floor of their home in Bent Springs Lane, outside Katy, Texas.
Their bodies were reportedly discovered by their son, one of two adult children who had been sleeping upstairs along with the couple’s adopted seven-year-old daughter.
Detectives believe Norman Lee Johnson drove approximately 140 miles from Round Rock, where he lived, to the Harris County home to carry out the attack.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has not publicly described the victims’ relationship to Johnson beyond saying he is the biological father of the adopted child, but Gonzalez said investigators believe the killings were motivated by custody issues involving the child.
Family members of the slain couple say they had spent years raising Johnson’s daughter after he lost custody, and that tensions over the child never fully subsided.
According to Kristina Rayson, the couple’s daughter, Johnson is also Trinette’s cousin.
“My family took his daughter in when he lost custody. We raised her, loved her, and kept her safe,” Kristina Rayson told ABC13 after learning of Johnson’s arrest.
“We were repaid by him taking their lives, and taking away the family his daughter loved and trusted.”
Court and police records referenced by local news outlets indicate Johnson was previously accused of threatening the family.
The suspect is reportedly the biological father of the couple’s adopted daughter
In October 2024, he was reportedly charged with harassment after allegedly threatening to kill Christopher Lopez over the same custody dispute. However, he was apparently never arrested in that earlier case.
Authorities have released few details about how the killer entered the home or whether a weapon was recovered.
Christopher was reportedly discovered near the living area with a gunshot wound to the face, while Trinette was found near the kitchen with two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the left hand.
Members of the U.S. Marshals’ Lone Star Task Force took Johnson into custody in Round Rock on Tuesday and he was booked into the local Williamson County Jail, authorities said.
He is expected to be transferred back to Harris County as the homicide case proceeds.
Johnson remained jailed in Williamson County as of Wednesday night.
Image credits: SheriffEd_HCSO
The case drew widespread attention after the couple’s deaths, with investigators initially asking the public for help as they worked to identify a suspect.
This week’s arrest has shifted focus to the custody history that family members say preceded the killings.
In a statement carried by KHOU 11, the two adult children described relief after the arrest but said the family is still grappling with the loss.
“We are so relieved. We hope that he is charged to the fullest extent of the law. Our parents deserve justice and to know that we are safe from his harm,” they said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains active and urged anyone with information to contact detectives.