Girl, 13, and mom arrested after dispute with neighbor devolves into a stabbing
Estela Martinez, 43, allegedly tried to hide the knife in a bottle of laundry detergent
A Texas teenager and her mother are behind bars after a dispute with a neighbor turned into a violent stabbing.
The 13-year-old allegedly stabbed her 19-year-old male neighbor on Sunday at the Aldine apartment complex in Harris County, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies said the two neighbors, who had ongoing issues, were arguing outside the apartment when the man pushed the teenager who then retreated to her unit.
When she returned moments later, she had a knife and stabbed the man multiple times, deputies said.
The man injured in the stabbing was hospitalized in serious but fair condition.
In an updated post on X, the sheriff’s office announced that the girl had been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
She was booked into Harris County Juvenile Probation Center.
Arrest update: the teen (13) is being charged with Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and booked in the Harris County Juvenile Probation Center.
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) March 2, 2025
The teen’s mom, Estela Martinez (7-27-81), has been charged with Tampering with Evidence and booked in the Harris County Jail.… https://t.co/ubqGO70MtP
The teenager’s mother, Estela Martinez, 43, was also taken into custody. Martinez allegedly took the knife and tried to hide it in a bottle of laundry detergent.
When the knife was found, Martinez told deputies she hid the weapon to keep her daughter from getting in trouble, Click2Houston reported.
Martinez has been charged with tampering with evidence. She was booked in the Harris County Jail on a $25,000 bond.