A Texas woman defending her home from a pair of armed invaders died on Monday, January 26, after getting into a shootout with the masked intruders, leaving them both seriously injured, according to authorities.
Houston Police have not identified the 72-year-old victim, but court records show that her name was Linda Martinez.
Police have arrested Tajauna Thomas, 38, and Richard Mouton, 34, for accessing Martinez’s home through an unlocked backdoor at approximately 1:50 a.m. Thomas and Mouton have both been charged with one count of capital murder but have not entered pleas.
A statement from the Houston Police Department alleged that the shootout unfolded after Martinez, who was fast asleep on her couch, awoke to find the masked intruders pointing an AR-style rifle at her.
Police said they started demanding her jewelry. Instead, Martinez reached for her revolver. According to police, she engaged in a brief gunfight with the two suspects but was ultimately shot to death.
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Police arrived at Martinez’s home after receiving calls about the gunfire and found all three shooters injured and on the floor. Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement.
Thomas and Mouton sustained gunshot wounds in the gunfight that required medical attention, police said. Mouton was shot in the face while Thomas took a slug to her hip, reported Click2Houston. Both remain at the hospital — one of them, in critical condition — but they are expected to recover.
Investigators have not discussed a possible motive for the home invasion, but did confirm that Thomas had lived in the home briefly after being released from jail. She apparently moved out within the last month because she was upset with Martinez for failing to bail her out following her recent arrest.
It was unclear how Martinez and Thomas are actually acquainted.
Houston Police Lieutenant JP Horelica said there were other people inside the house when the shooting happened, but investigators believe that the exchange of bullets happened only between Martinez and the two suspects.
As part of their investigation, police are reviewing surveillance footage from the area, which has been the target of multiple break-ins in recent weeks. Detectives are trying to connect Thomas and Mouton to those other home invasions.
Click2Houston found court records for both suspects. Thomas was on bond for misdemeanor terroristic threat for threatening her old boss, claiming she was going to “beat his ass,” according to records.
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Mouton, a convicted felon, was on parole until 2024, according to court records accessed by Click2Houston. Then, in July of 2025, Mouton got arrested for three charges in Harris County: drug possession, felon in possession of a weapon, and evading arrest.
In those cases, he allegedly ran from a traffic stop while possessing more than 100 grams of marijuana, 5 grams of ecstasy, 11.7 grams of Xanax, 24 grams of methamphetamine, 3.4 grams of cocaine, and a firearm, according to records.
He had been on bond since about a week after his arrest, up until last week, when court records revealed he didn’t show up.
