HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The Humble teen who murdered his mother and drove across the country with her body in a trunk less than two years ago will spend the next 40 years in prison.
Now 19-year-old Tyler Roenz, who was 17 at the time of the killing, took a plea deal in Harris County.
Authorities say Tyler killed his mother, 49-year-old Michelle Roenz, while the two were at home on Oct. 13, 2022. He then put her body in the trunk of the family car, a black Mazda, and drove north.
After noticing their car was gone, Tyler’s father told investigators that his wife and son were missing. He also found a human tooth and blood inside their Humble home.
A CLEAR Alert prompted a frantic search for the mother and son, and detectives say they found suspicious charges on Michelle’s credit card out of Oklahoma and Kansas.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Missing Humble mom’s body was in car involved in chase with son driving, source tells ABC13
Authorities haven’t confirmed whether an Humble mom who disappeared Thursday is the body found three states away where her son was involved in a chase.
Shortly after, law enforcement were able to track Tyler using license plate readers as he drove through Oklahoma and Kansas.
A day following the murder, Tyler was arrested in Nebraska after leading troopers on a chase and crashing his car.
Michelle’s body was found stuffed in the trunk of the car and an autopsy report found she had been strangled and beaten.
Tyler was hospitalized from the crash and eventually released and extradited back to Texas.
He also plead guilty to tampering with evidence in exchange for a sentence of 20 years, which he will serve concurrently. Two other felonies were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Tyler must serve at least half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole and cannot appeal the convictions or prison sentences.
SEE PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
