Texas Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Shooting Teen During Guinea Pig Burial

John Martin Dixon, 46, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault after shooting his teenage neighbor three times in Houston while the boy was burying a pet guinea pig.

Houston Man Gets Nine Years for Shooting Teen at Backyard Pet Funeral

A Houston, Texas man has been sentenced to nine years in state prison for shooting his neighbor's teenage son while the boy was burying a pet guinea pig in the family's backyard.

John Martin Dixon, 46, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Harris County court records reviewed by Law & Crime. 180th District Court Judge Tami Pierce handed down the sentence; a second firearm-related charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement. Dixon was also credited with 23 days of pretrial detention.

The incident took place just after midnight on July 17, 2025, when officers with the Houston Police Department responded to a shooting in progress at a residence on Belgard Street.

Teen shot three times, including once in the back

Emmanuel Menchaca, 18, was struck three times by gunfire. A criminal complaint obtained by Law & Crime states that Menchaca and his younger brother had been in the backyard burying their recently deceased guinea pig before the attack.

"Before the shooting occurred, both complainants were in the backyard of their home burying their pet Guinea Pig which had recently passed away," the charging document reads. "After they were done, the complainants were going back toward the front of the residence in the driveway where they were shot at by their neighbor."

Menchaca told investigators he felt "a push from the back" before realizing he had been shot. His younger brother, who was also fired upon, was not struck. The brother took cover behind a nearby vehicle and told police he made direct eye contact with Dixon as the shooting unfolded.

Menchaca later said he was "shocked" and "didn't understand why" Dixon had opened fire.

Firearm tied to defendant through father

The charging document links Dixon to the weapon through his own father. John Morgan Dixon, the defendant's father and owner of the firearm, told officers that he and his son had used the gun earlier that same day — first to shoot a snake near their back door, and again when the defendant used it to shoot a possum. The weapon was later recovered from the elder Dixon's room, stored beneath a flashlight.

Fugitive list, bond, and indictment

Both brothers ran back inside and alerted their parents immediately after the shooting. Weeks passed before charges were formally filed. Dixon was placed on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive List after charges were brought in early August. He was arrested in August 2025, posted bond in September 2025, and a formal indictment was issued in January of this year.

Victim now in college in San Antonio

A GoFundMe set up by the family to cover medical and moving expenses describes Menchaca as a college student in San Antonio who plays soccer, goes to the gym, and "absolutely loves animals." His mother writes that he is "a hardworking young man" and "a loving, selfless, and goofy person."

Source: Law & Crime