Boyfriend shoots pregnant teen in face for ‘texting another man,’ killing her & unborn baby days before her 19th birthday: Police

Patra Perkins was reportedly eight months pregnant and planned to name her child Jai’Ary Legend Perkins

A Texas man accused of fatally shooting his pregnant girlfriend on August 4 was arrested in New Mexico last Thursday after a week-long manhunt. Details surrounding the shooting continue to emerge.

Justin Herron, 31, allegedly shot his girlfriend, Patra Perkins, 18, in a motel room at the HomeTowne Studios in Houston. A bystander waved down an officer at the Tinseltown movie theater and claimed he heard that a woman was shot multiple times in room 239, according to KTRK.

Authorities reportedly found Perkins’ body during a welfare check. KPRC reported that an autopsy revealed that Perkins suffered eight gunshot wounds. Houston Police Department Seargent Joshua Horn told KTRK that she was shot in the face, shoulder, and leg.

Police said 16 shell casings were recovered from the motel room, which was apparently rented under Herron’s name.

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A GoFundMe for the slain mother-to-be stated that she was eight months pregnant and the baby boy would’ve been named Jai’Ary Legend Perkins. Family members who spoke with KTRK identified Herron as the baby’s father.

Herron reportedly has a lengthy criminal history. At the time of Perkins’ murder, Herron was out on bond for driving a stolen vehicle and fleeing from police, according to reports.

Charged with capital murder, Herron turned himself into the Albuquerque Police Department on Thursday. He confessed to the slaying—and claimed he killed Perkins because she texted another man who he felt threatened by, according to a law enforcement source who spoke to KTRK.

Houston Police Department public information officer Jodi Silva told the Houston Chronicle that officers are heading to New Mexico to interview Herron. Silva said Harris County will be in charge of the murder suspect’s extradition.

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[Featured image: Patra Perkins/GoFundMe]