Van Henry Brisbon (right) is convicted of killing his girlfriend’s teen daughter, Lauren Juma (left) on April 29, 2022. . Photo:
Harris County District Attorney Office; Harris County Sheriff’s Office
Alone at home with her mother’s boyfriend, the 16-year-old FaceTimed her mom and sister, saying that the boyfriend was acting “weird.”
Her sister – and police – rushed to the Humble, Texas, home in time to hear gunshots from inside the house, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Van Henry Brisbon, 62, was sentencedThursday, Oct. 17 to life behind bars for the capital murder of 16-year-old Lauren Juma, who prosecutors say he was trying to rape.
Lauren Juma. GoFundMe
“This defendant was a predator with a gun, and his choice to hurt a young girl and take her life was senseless and horrific,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement. “He not only took a promising young woman’s life, his actions have destroyed a family.”
Lauren’s mother was out of town for work when she got the call and sent her elder daughter to the home to pick up the Nimitz High School cheerleader, per prosecutors.
Arriving at the home, the elder sister discovered that Brisbon was holding Lauren at gunpoint.
Around 1 a.m. April 29, 2022, responding Harris County deputies arriving at the scene heard Lauren’s screams for help followed by the sound of gunshots.
After shooting Lauren, Brisbon exited the home and was arrested.
Inside the home, investigators found the handgun used to kill the teen, as well as evidence that he had tried to rape her, according to prosecutors.
Van Henry Brisbon in mugshot. Harris County Sheriffâs Office
Lauren’s pants had been pulled down to her knees and Brisbon’s pants were also down, Click2Houston reported at the time.
Lauren’s sounds of anguish were captured in the bodycam recordings of arriving deputies “which were not easy to listen to,” Assistant District Attorney Katie Warren said in a statement regarding the evidence the jury considered during the nine-day trial.
The conviction automatically ensured a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.
It was not immediately clear who had represented Brisbon in court.
