16-year-old charged with murder in Odessa will be tried as an adult

Editor’s Note: the video above first aired on June 17, 2024.

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- A 16-year-old Odessa girl charged with murder last summer will stand trial as an adult. Adrianna Vincent was charged with Murder in June after she and her co-defendant allegedly killed a wheelchair-bound man in his own front yard.

Ector County District Attorney Dusty Gallivan said that on October 9, Vincent was officially certified to be tried as an adult in the death of 65-year-old Jimmy Johnson. Texas criminal law considers anyone under 17 a juvenile unless the court determines that treating them as an adult is in the best interest of justice.

Vincent was booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on October 10 ; her bond, when combined with additional charges of Tampering with Evidence and Possession of a Controlled Substance, has been set at $530,000.

According to the Odessa Police Department, around 3:30 p.m. on June 14, officers were called to the 1800 block of Newcomb after multiple 911 calls reported shots fired in the area. At the scene, investigators found blood in the street and drag marks. Investigators said they followed the blood trail to 1808 Newcomb and heard yelling inside the home.

Once inside the house, investigators detained 19-year-old Brandon Roupp and Vincent and then continued to follow the blood trail through the home, where they found Johnson dead from an apparent gunshot wound to the neck.

During a subsequent investigation, OPD said detectives watched surveillance video from the area which reportedly showed Roupp and Vincent run out of the home toward the victim, who was in the street. Investigators said both teens stopped at the property line and that Roupp then raised a rifle toward Johnson and fired four times. Both teens were then caught on camera dragging the victim back into his home and out of the street.

In an interview with Roupp, investigators said the teen admitted that he and Vincent had been living with Johnson and that he shot the victim following an argument about their living arrangements.

Johnson’s loved ones said the wheelchair-bound man battled cerebral palsy all his life and that the suspects had recently moved into Jimmy’s home because they needed a place to stay.

Of the court’s decision, Gallivan said, “In serious cases like this, the legal system may determine that a juvenile should be tried as an adult. Certification means the case moves from the juvenile court system to the adult criminal justice system, reflecting the gravity of the offense. Juvenile crime remains a significant concern in Ector County, with offenses such as murder, aggravated robbery, and aggravated assault being committed by minors. Certification is a legal tool the State uses to hold individuals accountable for the most serious crimes.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Yourbasin.