Grown Man Murdered 16-Year-Old Girlfriend For Breaking Up With Him!

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

A 29-year-old man in Texas has been sentenced to spend the next 75 years in prison after he was convicted this week of killing his 16-year-old girlfriend in a terrible fit of rage.

Back on September 12, 2018, a teenager named Lourdes Sandoval was shot and killed outside of her home in Houston. At the time, she’d been in a relationship with a man named Irbin Vargas — who was 22 years old, six years her senior and very much not legally allowed to date a 16-year-old.

Nevertheless, the pair had gotten together. Per the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which successfully prosecuted the 2018 murder case after it finally went to trial earlier this year, Vargas and Sandoval had been in a relationship for about a year by that point. But Sandoval, who was also known to her closest friends and loved ones as “Betty,” had been wanting to end the relationship for a while.

Sadly, she never got the chance. Per Law & Crime, Vargas got into an argument with the teenager at one point while she was trying to split up with him. The fight got so bad that he allegedly pointed a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. He didn’t kill her, though — not the first time around, at least.

Later that night, after their fight ended and they went their separate ways, Betty logged onto Facebook and began telling him off over the incident. As revealed in court during his trial, Vargas began the exchange by writing:

“I thought you were going to be with me earlier”

To which the 16-year-old girl replied:

“Lol when. When you were about to shoot me?”

In response, Vargas admitted holding the gun to her head:

“Yes when I had the gun to your head, that’s why I put it down cuz I thought you meant it”

At which point Betty then wrote this jaw-dropping response:

“Next time you point a gun at me, make sure you kill me cause I’m never talking to you again”

And this was all Vargas could think to respond with:

“Damn bro”

Damn, indeed. But here’s where things get absolutely crazy — and tragic. After finishing the conversation on Facebook, prosecutors successfully argued, Betty walked out of her Houston-area home to meet a friend who was waiting in a car out front.

Before she could make it to the car, though, the friend testified that they witnessed Vargas walk out from the shadows around the corner of the house, attack Betty from behind, and shoot her in the head, instantly killing her. Vargas then fled the scene.

He was quickly tracked down and arrested. Cops then linked pieces of evidence, including those aforementioned Facebook messages, to secure a conviction earlier this year. And now, with this week’s sentencing, Vargas will almost assuredly spend the rest of his life in prison. Per Law & Crime, he must serve at least 30 of those 75 years before being eligible for parole.

Speaking out after the sentencing, Assistant Harris County District Attorney Philip White stated:

“He was a 22-year-old predator who worked to get close to a teenage girl. Five minutes after she told him that it was over for good, he killed her.”

So sickening. We are heartened that justice has been brought to the killer, but that won’t bring Betty back to her friends, family, and loved ones. Awful.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.

[Image via Harris County District Attorney’s Office]