KEMPNER, TX — Four teens have been charged with murder after a Kempner man was shot and killed outside his home in September 2019.
According to the Lampasas County Sheriff's Office, around 11:23 p.m. on September 16, 2019, deputies received a call regarding several gunshots in the 400 block of Pecos Lane in Kempner. A second caller told deputies she believed her son had been shot.
When deputies arrived, they found several people in the front yard and carport area. They also found 24-year-old Vance Henry Helzer suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the chest and torso.
Acadian EMS provided life-saving treatment, but Helzer was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Greg Chapman.
After a months-long investigation, four suspects were identified as persons of interest in the case. Those four suspects were:
- 18-year-old Matthew Isaiah Lawson
- 19-year-old Markevious Rayshun Myers
- 19-year-old Kashawn Anton-James Ratliff
- 18-year-old Jaview Kristian Gutierrez
Through an investigation, it was determined that Helzer was in a dispute over money when the four suspects drove to Helzer's home to confront him. Helzer was immediatly shot within seconds of the arrival of the suspects.
The four teens then fled the scene and conspired to conceal the crime that had been committed police say.
LCSO says all four suspects are currently in custody and charged with murder.
