Houston (Covering Katy News) – A Katy man has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting three family members, including the fatal shooting of his wife, during a domestic violence incident at their home in 2021, in a neighborhood at the intersection of North Mason and Morton Roads.
“This man went on a shooting rampage in his own home, shooting three people that he claimed he loved,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “An abuser can hurt, maim and kill anyone caught in their path. Cases like this are why we have a Domestic Violence Division, and innocent victims like this are why we work so hard to get justice.”
Lawrence Reed, 56, was convicted by a jury of murder and sentenced to life in prison for killing 36-year-old Valarie Junius at their home at 2718 Roaring Oaks Lane in Katy on July 29, 2021.
Reed was also convicted of two counts of aggravated assault of a family member for shooting two others during the incident. He was sentenced to 20 years for each of those cases, the maximum punishment. All three sentences will run concurrently, meaning they will be served at the same time.
Reed and his wife had a blended family with six children. The couple shared two children, ages 8 and 4. Reed was also stepfather to her four other children, ages 12, 16, 17, and 20.
The 20-year-old daughter had a 1-year-old baby, and they were both inside the house during the shooting.
Weeks before the shooting, while his wife and children were on a trip to Chicago, Reed sent strange text messages, including references to a gun. Upon their return, the family searched the house, found a .40-caliber handgun, and removed it from the home.
The couple had been experiencing marital problems. On the day of the shooting, Reed wrote a message to his wife in a card expressing his love. Despite being in the same house, he texted her multiple times to come upstairs and read the card in front of him. She declined, staying downstairs with her children and grandchild.
Reed eventually said goodbye to his two young children, who were upstairs with him, and went downstairs to confront his wife. He pulled out a pistol, which the family was unaware of, and shot his 20-year-old stepdaughter in the chest. The bullet struck her heart, both lungs, and liver, but she survived.
The initial shot sent the household into chaos. Reed’s wife fled out the back door while several children ran out the front. Reed fired more shots, wounding his wife, who continued to flee. Reed pursued her outside.
He found his wife hiding near a neighbor’s car with her 16-year-old son. Reed shot the teen twice, but he survived. The teen was holding his mother’s arm when Reed fatally shot her.
At that point, all the children, except the 20-year-old, had escaped the house. Neighbors came outside, calling 911 and attempting to assist the victims. One neighbor tried to perform CPR on Reed’s wife, but Reed approached with his gun, kicked her in the head, and declared she was dead. He also threatened one of her sons with the gun, forcing him to run away.
Reed then barricaded himself inside the house. When deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrived, he threatened to shoot anyone who entered.
The 20-year-old daughter, despite being shot, managed to hide in a closet with her baby and called 911. She remained on the phone with dispatchers for 49 minutes until officers could safely escort her and the child from the house. She underwent emergency surgery for her injuries.
During the trial, jurors learned about the life-saving measures taken by first responders and the complex surgeries that saved her life. Witnesses testified that it was a miracle she survived.
Assistant District Attorney Kelly Marshall, of the Domestic Violence Division, prosecuted the case alongside Elizabeth Liberman of the Homicide Division.
“He had absolutely murderous intent to kill everyone in that house and would have tried if they hadn’t gotten the other gun out of there—he simply ran out of bullets,” Marshall said. “This case shows how fatal domestic violence can be—there’s no reason to shoot up a house full of unarmed women and children.”
Marshall commended the children for their heroic actions during the shooting and praised the first responders for their efforts to save lives.