Man Sentenced to Life in Prison Without Parole for Kidnapping and Killing Pasadena Mother of Four

A Houston man who kidnapped and fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, a Pasadena mother of four, was sentenced to life in prison without parole late Tuesday, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This administration has made domestic violence crimes a priority since the beginning precisely because of horrible cases like this,” Ogg said. “This was a mother who was doing everything right to get away from a violent and controlling partner but still lost her life, and the only just result is that he spends every day of the rest of his life in prison.”

Daniel Chacon, 32, was convicted of capital murder for killing his ex-girlfriend, 38-year-old Maira Gutierrez, on Oct. 3, 2022. The couple had broken up about a month before the murder.

Chacon, who was the father of Gutierrez’s youngest child, had temporary custody of the 6-month-old. The baby lived with him and his new girlfriend, who was pregnant and also had an older child with Chacon.

Gutierrez came to visit her baby regularly while Chacon was at work, usually around 9 a.m.

The day of her murder, Gutierrez was visiting the baby at Chacon’s apartment in the 3800 block of Red Bluff around 9 a.m. while Chacon was not present. During the visit, Chacon placed a phone call to order Gutierrez to abruptly stop her visit and leave his apartment.

When Gutierrez returned to her silver SUV in the parking lot of Chacon’s apartment complex, Chacon was hiding in the backseat with a handgun.

Witnesses at the complex heard Gutierrez screaming for help and saw Chacon chase after Gutierrez as she attempted to run away.

Witnesses then saw Chacon force Gutierrez into the backseat of her SUV at gunpoint. He then got in the driver’s seat of Gutierrez’s vehicle and fled as neighbors called 911. Pasadena police responded.

An emergency ping was issued for Gutierrez’s phone, which was found about 13 miles from Chacon’s apartment on the side of the 610 Loop by officers with the Houston Police Department.

Shortly after, Gutierrez’s SUV was found near the location of her recovered phone in an industrial construction site in the 5200 block of Cedar Crest in southeast Houston. Gutierrez was inside, dead from a gunshot wound to the head.

Chacon fled to Mexico but later turned himself in.

Late Tuesday, after six days of trial, a Harris County jury found Chacon guilty of capital murder. He was automatically sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Dupont, who is a chief in the Domestic Violence Division, tried Chacon with ADA Mary McFaden, who heads the Domestic Violence Division.

“This was always about Daniel Chacon trying to control Maira, taking advantage of the system to lie, make false statements and play games with her over custody of her child,” Dupont said. “We believe he killed her because he was about to lose that leverage because she was doing everything right.”

McFaden noted that Chacon had a history of violence against women that escalated until he killed Gutierrez.

“When he realized he wasn’t going to legally have any control and she didn’t need him anymore, he made the choice to take her life,” McFaden said.

Chacon will never be eligible for parole.