Tony Earls Jr. trial verdict: Guilty of manslaughter in death of Arlene Alvarez

HOUSTON - Tony Earls Jr. has been found guilty of manslaughter in the deadly shooting of 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez in Houston in 2022.

Earls was accused of shooting at the girl’s family’s vehicle, incorrectly believing a man who had just robbed him had gotten into it.

The jury began deliberating following closing arguments on Tuesday and reached a verdict an hour later.

What's next:

His sentence will be determined on Wednesday.

The trial

Timeline:

Opening arguments in the trial began last Wednesday. For four days, the jury heard testimony and reviewed evidence including Arlene’s father’s account of the shooting, analysis from investigators and experts, the 911 call from Arlene’s mother, surveillance video, and body camera footage from a responding officer.

The defense and prosecution rested on Monday, and the jury heard closing arguments on Tuesday. The prosecution argued that Earls was being reckless and was the only person shooting that night. Prosecutors also said Earls' actions were not self-defense or justified. The jurors had to decide if Earls recklessly shot, killing Arlene. 

The defense argued that Earls believed the robber was shooting back at him and believed the robber was getting into the family’s vehicle. The defense said Earls reacted in a terrifying and chaotic situation when he was robbed at gunpoint. The jury began deliberating around 1:30 p.m. Around 2:30 p.m., the jury reached a verdict.

Dig deeper:

Watch full days of the trial.

Deadly 2022 shooting

The backstory:

Arlene Alvarez, 9, was fatally shot in her family’s pickup truck on the night of Feb. 14, 2022.

Police say the man who shot the girl, Earls, fired at the innocent family’s vehicle incorrectly believing a suspect who had just robbed him had gotten into it.

According to police, Earls and his wife were in their vehicle at an ATM in the 2900 block of Woodridge when a still-unidentified man suddenly appeared with a gun and demanded money.

Authorities say the woman gave the suspect her wallet and cash before the suspect ran away, jumped over a fence at a business in the 200 block of Winkler and possibly ran toward a nearby apartment complex. Police are still searching for him to this day.

After the robbery, police say Earls shot at the suspect who was running away and then shot at a vehicle he thought the suspect had gotten into. A family, who were not involved in the robbery, were in the pickup truck. Arlene was in the backseat and was shot. She died from her injuries.

Legal back-and-forth

Dig deeper:

The trial follows years of legal back-and-forth.

Initially, a few months after the shooting, a grand jury decided not to indict Earls for the shooting.

Two years later, new evidence uncovered by an FBI firearms expert compelled prosecutors to re-present the case to a grand jury in 2024. At that time, he was indicted on a murder charge.

However, in July of this year, a grand jury indicted Earls on a manslaughter charge, and the murder charge was subsequently dropped.