Wednesday

27-08-2025 Vol 19

Man in custody accused of shooting teen while burying his guinea pig in southeast Houston, police say


HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — An arrest has been made weeks after Houston police say a teenager was shot while burying his pet guinea pig.

Investigators say Emmanuel Menchaca was hospitalized after being shot in the back outside his home on Belgard in southeast Houston.

More than a month later, court records now show his accused shooter is in custody.

As investigators still try to find a motive — the Menchaca family tells ABC13 they don’t understand why police were slow to arrest their neighbor John Martin Dixon who is accused of shooting their loved one and say they want the charges against him to be upgraded from aggravated assault.

“I’m not satisfied with the charges. I would’ve preferred a higher charge,” the victim’s mom Andrea Menchaca said. “Let’s not forget my son was in the hospital for 17 days in the ICU.”

Andrea Menchaca nearly lost her son Emmanuel on July 17. She told ABC13 then. Doctors called his survival story a miracle.

More than a month later, he’s alive to tell the story as his family desperately looks for accountability and justice.

Police say the man accused of shooting Emmanuel, John Martin Dixon, is now in custody.

“My children should’ve never gone through what they did,” Andrea said.” We’re here today to seek justice. Why did this happen?”

The Menchaca’s for weeks grew frustrated.

Police say the shooting happened on July 17.

Court documents show the night of the shooting investigators recovered the gun and interviewed Dixon’s dad. The next day police say Menchaca positively identified Dixon as the shooter in a photo line up.

The district attorney’s office says they received the case from law enforcement on Aug. 8 and filed the charges the same day.

Court records show Dixon had a court appearance he didn’t go to on Aug. 11.

And more than a month after the shooting – Dixon was brought into custody on Monday, Aug. 25, on two counts of aggravated assault in connection the shooting.

“We just kind of feel numb at the time,” Andrea said.

When asked about the timeline of this case, HPD says they conducted a thorough investigation.

Police have not said how Dixon was brought into custody after more than a month.

“The process while incredibly frustrating to survivors and their families always it worked here. We were able to make sure we had the strongest case we were able to have before we moved forward,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said. “We needed to ensure we had ballistics because eyewitness testimony is very important and wonderful but you always want to be able to cohobate it with physical evidence… we were able to do that in early August. The law enforcement agency was.”

Teare says at this point they don’t know the motive for the shooting. Andrea has told ABC13 in the past their family has never had a problem with their neighbors.

“We may never know the motive behind the crime but you’re always striving to get that so we’re looking at that and if we’re able to determine what it is then potentially charges can be upgraded,” DA Teare said.

Dixon is being held at the Harris County jail. His next court appearance is in October.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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Niko Travis

Niko Travis is a dedicated health writer with a passion for providing clear, reliable, and research-backed information about medications and mental health. As the author behind TrazodoneSUC, Niko simplifies complex medical topics to help readers understand the benefits, uses, and potential risks of Trazodone. With a commitment to accuracy and well-being, Niko ensures that every article empowers readers to make informed decisions about their health.

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