Texas Man ‘obsessed’ with McDonald’s co-worker stalked, killed her and her roommate
A 28-year-old Texas man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the fatal shooting of a woman he was “obsessed” with and her roommate last year.
On Monday, Atascosa County District Court Judge Russell H. Wilson sentenced Rosendo Jesus Montoya to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of 33-year-old Mary Heinz and her 43-year-old roommate, Laura West.
The Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies and firefighters responded to a fire at a home in the 100 block of Peach Street in Leming, Texas, at about 5 a.m. on June 29, 2023. Upon arrival, first responders found West, who had already died from a gunshot wound to the head, inside the burning residence.
West owned the home and lived with Heinz, who was missing from the scene, sparking an immediate investigation.
Over the next week, investigators conducted interviews, gathered evidence, and collected surveillance footage from around West’s home. Six days later, they identified Montoya, a former co-worker of Heinz at McDonald's who had become "obsessed" with her, as the main suspect. Sheriff David Soward described Montoya’s suspicious actions leading to his arrest: “The suspect was working at a fast-food restaurant in Pleasanton. Shortly before 9 p.m. Monday, two investigators observed the suspect come out of the restaurant, move his vehicle close to a dumpster, retrieve two black plastic trash bags from his car, and place them in the dumpster as he left work. About 45 minutes later, he was stopped by sheriff’s deputies and interviewed on the side of the road. At the same time, one of my investigators went into the dumpster and retrieved the two black plastic trash bags and found it contained partial human remains.”
After his arrest, Montoya led investigators to a remote area where he had dumped Heinz’s body and covered it with tall grass. She had also been fatally shot.
County District Attorney Audrey Louis told the Pleasanton Express that Montoya might have briefly dated Heinz. When she ended the relationship, he became infatuated with her. “He stalked her and waited in her home to end her life,” Louis said. “Mary’s death is a single dating woman’s worst nightmare.”
Montoya had loaded Heinz’s body into a recently purchased container as part of his plan. During this time, West came home, and Montoya shot her in the head.
“Today’s plea means Montoya can no longer hurt anyone outside prison walls,” Louis stated. “While this does not undo the horrific murders of Mary Heinz and Laura West or the lifetime of pain for their children and families, it spares the family and our community the pain of a trial.”
Sheriff Soward described Montoya as a “serial killer in the making” and a “monster.”
In a victim impact statement read in court, Mary Heinz’s mother, Michelle Heinz, addressed Montoya directly: “You’re an evil, little weasel. Also, your family, look what you put them through. Please look at me. This is what Mary should look like if she were here. Shame on you.”
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