Who is Oninda Romelus? Porter mother accused of shooting her 4 kids in Angleton

BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas - A mother from Porter is behind bars after allegedly shooting and killing two of her children and injuring two others over the weekend.

Oninda Romelus charged in shooting

What we know:

According to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office, 31-year-old Oninda Romelus has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Authorities say Romelus called 911 around 4:45 a.m. Saturday and told them to come to her location in Angleton.

The sheriff’s office says four children had been shot. Romelus' 13-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter died from their gunshot wounds. Her 8-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter were also shot and airlifted to a Houston-area hospital. They are expected to recover.

Romelus was arrested and charged. She is being held on a $14 million bond.
 

Romelus lives in Porter, so the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is assisting with the investigation.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not indicated a motive behind the shooting or any additional information.

Disturbing details from court docs

What they're saying:

After the shooting, Romelus was taken to the sheriff's office to be interviewed.

According to court documents, when the investigator asked her why she called 911, she said she couldn’t talk about it. Upon further questioning about why she called 911, she allegedly stated, "Instead of them doing it to me, I’m gonna do it to them."

When the investigator asked, "do what?," she stated, "kill them all," according to court documents.

As the investigator continued to question Romelus about why she was at the sheriff’s office and why she called 911, court documents state that she said she didn’t call 911, she called the "devil."

She also reportedly said that she was ready to work, which the investigator said did not make sense.

The investigator asked Romelus if she had any children, and she reportedly said, "Uhm." When the investigator asked her how many kids she had, court documents state that she named her four children and their ages.

The investigator asked where the children were. According to court documents, Romelus stated that they were with the "devil."

The investigator asked what she meant by that, and Romelus said, "they’re dead," court documents state. 

When the investigator asked what she meant by that, she said, "cause you can’t take me without me taking you," court documents state.

According to court documents, she also stated that her children were dead to her.

Previous charges in Georgia

Dig deeper:

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia confirmed that Romelus was previously arrested on April 24, 2022, and charged with misdemeanor DUI of Drugs, Failure to Maintain Lane and Possession of Marijuana less than 1 ounce.

According to Fayette County court records, it appears Romelus entered a guilty plea on the DUI charge and the other two charges were not prosecuted under "nolle prosequi".

CPS issues statement

Melissa Lanford, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Spokesperson, said, "Child Protective Services is investigating this case and making sure that the safety and well-being of the surviving children is our first priority. Ms. Romelus has had contact with CPS on one other occasion. Details of that interaction are confidential but will be included in a public Child Fatality Report when our investigation is complete." 

A court has yet to make a decision on who will have temporary custody of the surviving children once they are released from the hospital. 

Crime and Public SafetyBrazoria CountyMontgomery County Sheriff's OfficeGeorgia