A Texas man, aged 28, has been sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for the murder of a woman he was infatuated with and her roommate. Rosendo Jesus Montoya was handed down the sentence by Atascosa County District Court Judge Russell H. Wilson for the murders of Mary Heinz, 33, and Laura West, 43, according to law enforcement officials.
The Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office reported that on June 29, 2023, deputies and firefighters responded to a fire at a residence on Peach Street in Leming, Texas. Upon arrival, first responders were able to rescue one woman from the burning house. The woman, later identified as West, was already dead from an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
West, the homeowner, lived with Heinz, who was not found at the scene, sparking immediate suspicion. Over the following week, investigators conducted interviews, collected evidence, and reviewed surveillance footage from the vicinity of West’s home. Six days into the investigation, Montoya, a former coworker of Heinz at McDonald’s, was identified as the prime suspect in West’s murder.
Sheriff David Soward, following Montoya’s arrest, revealed that the suspect was observed leaving his workplace, a fast-food restaurant in Pleasanton, and disposing of two black plastic bags in a dumpster. Upon inspection, the bags were found to contain partial human remains. After his arrest, Montoya led investigators to a remote location where he had dumped Heinz’s body, which was also found with fatal gunshot wounds.
County District Attorney Audrey Louis told local media that Montoya may have briefly dated Heinz. When she ended the relationship, he became obsessed with her. Louis described Montoya’s actions as a single woman’s worst nightmare, stating that he stalked Heinz and waited in her home to kill her. Heinz’s body was loaded into a container Montoya had recently purchased as part of his murder plan. When West returned home, Montoya shot her as well.
Louis expressed relief at Montoya’s sentencing, stating that while it doesn’t erase the pain caused by the murders of Heinz and West, it spares their families and the community the ordeal of a trial. Sheriff Soward described Montoya as a potential serial killer and a “monster.”
In a victim impact statement, Mary Heinz’s mother, Michelle Heinz, addressed Montoya directly, calling him an “evil, little weasel” and expressing the pain he had caused her family.