A Houston man was sentenced to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to fatally shooting a man he found with his girlfriend in Spring, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.
James Ray Lane, 24, pleaded guilty to murder on Aug. 17 for gunning down Gregory L. Moore on June 28, 2021.
Moore Met Lane's Girlfriend at a Club, Exchanged Numbers with Her
According to investigators, Moore, a New Jersey single father-of-three was staying at an Airbnb in Spring with three of his friends during their vacation to Houston for the weekend. During their trip, Moore and his friends visited several clubs and met several women with whom they exchanged phone numbers, Ogg said.
That Sunday night, while the other men were inside the Airbnb house, authorities said Moore and one of the women he met that weekend arrived at the Airbnb. The woman was Lane's girlfriend. Lane was able to track her using her cellphone location.
Lane Fatally Shot Moore After Driving to the Airbnb
Lane allegedly drove to the street the house was on, got out of his car with a flashlight and handgun, and began assaulting Moore and the woman. Investigators said he pistol-whipped both of them and shot Moore several times. He and the woman then left together. Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene.
"This was a planned and premeditated attack on an unsuspecting visitor to Houston, and there have to be consequences," Ogg said. "We were ready and willing to go to trial and seek justice in this case when the defendant opted to ask the judge to decide punishment, and that's his choice."
By using the cellphone data and witness accounts, sheriff's detectives said they were able to identify Lane as the killer. He was found and arrested days later.
'A Jealous Ambush'
Assistant District Attorney Kasie Herring and ADA Rodulfo Martinez, who are both assigned to the DA's trial bureau, prosecuted the case.
"This was a jealous ambush ̶ he ran up to them with a flashlight and a gun and ended up shooting nine times," Herring said. "People in Harris County want to know that things are getting safer. I pray to God that the justice we seek in these cases makes this a safer place."
Lane must serve at least half of the prison sentence before he is eligible for parole.
