Flower Mound Teen Killed in Bed
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/flower+mound+teen+murdered%2C+cops+say

FLOWER MOUND, Texas - A 16-year-old girl was killed inside her Flower Mound apartment on Tuesday, police said. They said the girl’s older sister found her dead in bed at about 4:20 p.m. at their home in the 1700 block of Timber Creek Road. Her sister called 911 and tried to administer CPR, but was not able to revive her, police said. Police have not yet released the girl’s name but said she suffered clear signs of trauma and had likely been dead for some time. Investigators said they found a weapon but did not provide further details. No arrests have been made but investigators said they were looking for the girl’s older boyfriend, 20-year-old Garrett Gower, who they said is a person of interest. He was the last person to see the girl alive. Gower's family members said they had not seen him at all on Tuesday. Police said they have not been able to make contact with him on his cell phone or track him down. He does not have a history of violence, police said. "Both families are in agreement on this point that it seemed like a very typical teenage boyfriend girlfriend relationship," said Capt. Wess Griffin. Police said Gower may be in a 2000 silver Honda Accord with either a temporary tag number 80P3075 or a license plate number RKS810.


Possible homicide in Flower Mound
http://www.thenewsconnection.com/article.cfm?articleID=33105

On Tuesday afternoon the Flower Mound Police Department responded to a deceased person call in the 1700 block of Timber Creek Road (Timber Ridge Apartments). Upon arrival, officers discovered the body of a 16 year-old female, later identified as Brittany Munoz (W/F 06/13/93) inside the residence. Early results of the investigation revealed trauma to victim’s body and the investigation is being worked as a homicide. According to Captain Wess Griffin of the Flower Mound Police Dept. Patrol Division, the preliminary investigation shows the victim sustained blunt force trauma consistent with an assault. At this time it is believed that the victim was an acquaintance of her attacker.

     Officers responded to the location after receiving a 911 call from the victim’s sister. The victim lived in the apartment complex with her mother and sister. Police are currently seeking the victim’s boyfriend as a person of interest related to the victim’s death and are concerned for his welfare.  He has been identified as Garrett Cole Gower (W/M 07/30/89, 6’00” 140 pounds, Brown hair, Hazel eyes).  Anyone having contact with, or knowing the whereabouts of Mr. Gower is urged to contact the Flower Mound Police Department immediately at 972-539-0525.

     Garrett Gower (photo inset) is believed to be driving a silver 2009 Honda Accord 4-door with Texas temporary tag 80P3075 or Texas License Plate RKS-810. Mr. Gower, the person of interest to the police, has disappeared since the crime took place, sometime before Tuesday afternoon. What is known is that Mr. Gower spent the previous night at the apartment of the victim. Both families describe the relationship as being a typical boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with no history of physical violence. The victim lived in the apartment with her mother and older sister from June of 2009 and there is no history of calls for service at that location. This case is still under investigation. For more information, contact: Flower Mound Police Public Information Officer at: 214-287-1578.

Man on Trial for Killing Pregnant Teen Girlfriend
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/082410-man-on-trial-for-killing-pregnant-teen-g...

DENTON COUNTY, Texas - A North Texas man is on trial for the beating death of his teenage girlfriend and her unborn child. Police said 21-year-old Garret Gower was at 16-year-old Brittany Munoz’s Flower Mound apartment the night before her murder in November 2009. Officers testified that Munoz sent Gower text messages warning him she was going to tell his mom that she was pregnant. Munoz was later found dead in her bedroom. Gower is scheduled to take the stand in his own defense sometime this week.

Brittany Munoz Murder Verdict: Garrett Gower Guilty of Killing Pregnant 16-Year-Old Girlfriend
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20014838-504083.html

A Fort Worth man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for killing his 16-year-old girlfriend and the couple's unborn child after learning of the pregnancy. A Denton County jury deliberated only 90 minutes before finding Garrett Gower, 21, guilty of capital murder for killing Brittany Munoz and the 6-week-old male fetus she was carrying. When the guilty verdict was read, Gower stared straight ahead, showing no emotion.

Denton County District Court Judge Bruce McFarling handed down the sentence before hearing statements from the victim's family. "We opened our hearts and homes to you," Judith Munoz, Brittany's mother, told Gower as she read her victim impact statement. She said Brittany had loved Gower and he chose to kill her "in a fit of rage that was pointless." Judith Munoz also said she prays Gower would "take ownership and responsibility for what he did" as he spends the rest of his life in prison. Lead prosecutor Ryan Calvert echoed the senselessness of the crime. "Two families have lost their children for no reason," Calvert said. In closing arguments, Calvert asked the jury to imagine the "degree of violence and intent" it took to place a pillow over his girlfriend's face and hold it there for several minutes until she suffocated. "He did that with the full knowledge that with her death his baby died with her," Calvert said, standing in front of an enlarged photograph of the victim. Defense attorney J.R. Moore told the jury that the prosecution cherry-picked the evidence to have tested for DNA and didn't call a Flower Mound police officer to the stand because his testimony raised questions about their timeline in the case. "You can't convict someone on emotions and circumstances," Moore told jurors before they began their deliberations.

Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in the case. That meant that if convicted, Gower would automatically be sentenced to life in prison. The last prosecution witness to testify Wednesday was Crystal Munoz, Brittany's older sister. She told the jury that Gower didn't have a job and spent a lot of time at the Flower Mound apartment she shared with her mother and sister. She testified that Brittany discovered that she was pregnant a week or two before her death in November 2009. Crystal Munoz said she confronted Gower, telling him to take responsibility. "I asked him if was going to tell his parents," she told jurors. "He said his mom would kick him out and he wouldn't have anywhere to go." She said the conversation took place a day before she came home from work to find her younger sister's lifeless body, surrounded by shards of glass. It appeared that Brittany had been struck on the head with a glass vase, but she died of suffocation, a medical examiner testified Tuesday. Gower's fingerprints were found on pieces of the broken glass, and his DNA was found at the crime scene, according to testimony. Moore called only one defense witness, a Flower Mound detective who interviewed witnesses at the apartment complex where Munoz lived.

Interesting thread! Thanks for the relevant info!