ROSHARON, TX — The wife of a Texas man killed after a Facebook Marketplace meeting says the family’s loss should push others to think twice before meeting strangers online. Mayra Gonzalez said her husband, Victor Gonzalez, was a devoted father of two who was widely loved by family and friends.
Investigators say the fatal encounter happened while Victor Gonzalez was trying to sell property in the Aldine area last Sunday. Court documents and police accounts describe a robbery at gunpoint, a chase and shots fired before Gonzalez was struck and stopped responding to dispatchers.
How the Marketplace meeting turned deadly
Authorities say Victor Gonzalez met 17-year-old Anthony Castro in the Aldine area to complete the sale. During the encounter, investigators say Castro robbed him at gunpoint. Gonzalez then followed Castro’s vehicle and called 911, giving dispatchers directions as the situation unfolded.
Court documents say that during the emergency call, Gonzalez told dispatchers he had been shot. He did not respond after that point. The sequence has become a painful example for the family of how a routine online transaction turned into a deadly confrontation.
Teen charged with capital murder
Anthony Castro, 17, has been charged with capital murder in connection with Gonzalez’s death. The case centers on what investigators describe as an armed robbery that escalated into gunfire. Officials have not said anything publicly about a possible motive beyond the attempted robbery.
Investigators also spoke with a person who picked Castro up after the robbery. That person told police Castro got out of the car and fired at Gonzalez’s vehicle. According to court documents, Castro then said he had “just hit a lick,” a phrase investigators linked to the crime.
Surveillance video and witness accounts
Court documents say surveillance video captured three gunshots during the confrontation. That evidence, along with statements from a person who later encountered Castro, is part of the case investigators are building against the teenager.
Police have not said whether the surveillance footage shows the full sequence of events or only part of the confrontation. But the documents indicate the video supports the timeline that the armed robbery was followed by gunfire as Gonzalez tried to get away.
A family grieving a devoted father
Mayra Gonzalez said her husband’s death has left a devastating void for her and their two young children. She described Victor Gonzalez as a man everyone knew, someone who had friends everywhere and who was deeply committed to the people around him.
She said the children loved their father immensely and that losing him has been the hardest thing she has ever faced. Her comments reflect both the personal loss and the shock of seeing a family milestone tied to such a violent encounter.
A warning for people selling items online
In speaking publicly, Mayra Gonzalez said she wants other people to treat her family’s experience as a lesson. Her message was direct: be careful when using Facebook Marketplace or any similar platform to meet buyers and sellers you do not know well.
She said people should not trust strangers too quickly, especially when money or property changes hands. For the Gonzalez family, what began as a sale ended in tragedy, and now their warning is aimed at helping others avoid a similar outcome.
