Death Sentence For El Salvadoran In Murder Of Harris County Sheriff's Deputy

Yahoo

2 days ago

(Texas Scorecard) – Oscar Rosales, an illegal alien with a violent record across two countries, will face the death penalty for gunning down a Harris County deputy.
Rosales, a Salvadoran national living in Texas illegally, was found guilty of murdering Precinct 5 Constable Deputy Cpl. Charles Galloway in a January 2022 shooting. Rosales claimed it was a case of mistaken identity, alleging he believed the officer's vehicle was occupied by cartel-affiliated strip club bouncers from a location he had visited earlier that night.
Authorities noted that Rosales has a criminal history spanning two countries. Kim Ogg, former Harris County District Attorney, highlighted that Rosales had been on the run for nearly 25 years after violating probation for a 1995 assault with a deadly weapon charge. Ogg further claimed that a decade later, Rosales was wanted for a murder in El Salvador.
Following the shooting, Rosales fled to Mexico. He was apprehended and extradited to the United States in under a week. At the time, Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap remarked, 'What we are seeing on a regular basis on the streets of Harris County has got to stop. These are not assaults, these are not attacks, these are brutal, brutal murders. This needs to stop.'
During the trial, Rosales did not dispute the facts of the case—he was the individual involved in the shooting, and he did kill Corporal Galloway. His family served as his primary character witnesses, describing his efforts to protect younger individuals during cartel-related violence in El Salvador throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Less than two weeks ago, Rosales was found guilty of murder. Jury deliberations began last Thursday. During the sentencing phase, prosecutors played a video of the shooting, this time including audio. In the recording, Galloway can be heard taking his final breaths, choking on his own blood.
After five hours of deliberation on Thursday, the judge instructed the jury to return the next day.
On Friday, following an additional four hours of discussion—and nearly three and a half years after the killing—Oscar Rosales was sentenced to death.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare praised the trial process, stating, 'We are so appreciative to the jury, to the judge, to the defense team for an incredibly well-tried case in one of the most serious cases that we have in this building.'
Prosecutor Nathan Moss added, 'The family was gracious; they were grateful. This is not going to bring complete closure to them. They still have a missing loved one, somebody that was taken away from them in a tragic and horrible experience. But we do what we can to bring some closure, some justice to the family.'