PASADENA, Texas — A tragic incident early Sunday morning has led to a murder charge after a man was fatally struck by a vehicle in what police say was a deliberate act.
According to the Pasadena Police Department, at approximately 3:28 a.m. on October 19, 2025, dispatchers received a report of a Fail to Stop and Render Aid (FSRA) crash in the 3100 block of Red Bluff Road. The caller stated that a black Chevrolet Tahoe had hit a pedestrian on or near the sidewalk and then fled the scene.
Officers arrived and found the victim, 42-year-old Leonardo Mendoza, suffering from severe injuries. He was transported by Acadian Ambulance to HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Detectives from the department’s Violent Crimes Unit launched an investigation and determined that Mendoza and his wife, Alina Gonzalez-Morelos, 37, had been involved in a verbal altercation at their home shortly before the incident. Investigators say Mendoza left the residence on foot, and while he was walking along the sidewalk, Gonzalez-Morelos allegedly struck him with her vehicle.
Following the investigation, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office accepted a murder charge against Gonzalez-Morelos. She is currently in custody at the Pasadena Police Department, awaiting transport to the Harris County Joint Processing Center.
The investigation remains ongoing.
