David Elijah Herrera faces a capital murder charge in the shooting deaths of Dariela Cardona and Erick Von Gerbitz.
HOUSTON, TX — A 31-year-old Houston man has been charged with capital murder after authorities accused him of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend outside a north Houston home, a double killing that relatives say followed earlier threats involving the former relationship.
David Elijah Herrera was arrested shortly after Dariela Elizabeth Cardona, 29, and Erick Von Gerbitz, 41, were found shot outside a home in the 900 block of Lindale Street on Monday morning. Houston police said officers responded to the shooting about 8:15 a.m. and found both victims suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene.
Herrera is charged with capital murder in the 209th Criminal District Court, according to the Houston Police Department. Police identified him as a suspect during the investigation and said he was arrested a short time later in Liberty County. He was then booked into the Harris County Jail after investigators consulted with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. The charge is an allegation, and Herrera has not been convicted in the case.
Investigators have described the killings as connected to a domestic dispute involving Cardona and a former boyfriend. Police said Cardona and Von Gerbitz had recently resumed their relationship. ABC13 reported that the couple had dropped off their young son at school shortly before the shooting and were returning home when they were attacked. Authorities have said they believe jealousy over the renewed relationship may have played a role, but a motive has not been established in court.
The family of Von Gerbitz has called for justice and said the couple had faced threats before the killings, according to KHOU 11. Those claims represent the family’s account and have not been independently established as findings in the criminal case. Police had said early in the investigation that family members reported an argument involving an ex-boyfriend before the shooting. Authorities have not publicly detailed the full history of any alleged threats.
Police received critical information from people in the neighborhood after the shooting. Investigators said a witness obtained identifying information from a vehicle leaving the area, helping officers determine which vehicle to search for. Police then used Flock Safety license-plate cameras to track it as it traveled away from Houston. Herrera was eventually located and taken into custody in Liberty County.
Authorities said the shooting occurred after children in the neighborhood had left for school. Investigators recovered evidence from the area outside the home, and police initially described the attack as a drive-by shooting. Surveillance video reported by local news organizations showed a red vehicle leaving the area after gunfire was heard. Police have not publicly released a complete account of the evidence they believe connects Herrera to each shooting.
Cardona was a mother of two and worked as a hairstylist, according to relatives and neighbors who spoke with Houston news organizations after her death. People who knew her described her as hardworking and devoted to her children. The salon where she worked closed as friends, relatives and coworkers mourned her death. Von Gerbitz was identified in court records as Cardona’s partner and the father of one of her children.
The killings came amid several recent cases in Harris County that authorities have classified or investigated as involving domestic violence. Houston Police Department Capt. Ryan Watson said during the initial investigation that domestic violence was contributing to violent crime in the city. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office separately reported this week that it had responded to about 23 domestic violence-related homicides in 2026, underscoring broader concerns among local authorities as the Lindale Street investigation moved into court.
Court records cited by local news organizations indicated Herrera had no previous criminal record in Harris County. Prosecutors sought to have him held without bail, while his initial court proceedings were scheduled for Wednesday. The criminal case remains pending, and investigators have not publicly resolved every allegation surrounding the events that preceded the shooting.
Author note: Last updated October 7, 2026.