Cloverleaf 12-year-old murdered while defending his family from mother’s abusive ex, she says

In Houston, Texas, Carlos Fernandez’s mother recounted to ABC13 the harrowing ordeal where her 12-year-old son was shot while bravely defending her and his younger sisters from her abusive ex-boyfriend.

According to Ashley Rostro, the incident occurred around 3 a.m. on Monday. She, along with her boyfriend and two daughters aged 6 and 7, were asleep in a bedroom, while Carlos slept nearby in the living room.

Initially, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported that the entire family slept in one room, and Carlos was shot and killed while sleeping next to his sisters. However, Rostro clarified that her ex-boyfriend, Terry Rivera, opened the family’s bedroom window to gain entry.

Rostro vividly recalled the moment, stating that Rivera pushed a television off a dresser and menacingly uttered, “Yeah, what’s up? What’s up?” Upon hearing the disturbance, Carlos rushed to the room, only to be fatally shot four times by Rivera.

Describing her son as her protector, Rostro expressed her determination to be his voice in the aftermath of the tragedy, stating, “He wants me to do this. I have to. He’s not here to speak for himself.”

Rostro revealed that Rivera had previously broken into their apartment just three days before the shooting, allegedly stealing her gun during the break-in. Despite Rostro’s pleas for help and concerns about the unlocked window to law enforcement following Friday’s attack, no charges were pressed against Rivera.

Anthony Osso Jr., a former district attorney’s office attorney, emphasized that Rivera’s violent history should have been taken into account. Rivera had prior charges, including strangling a family member in 2014 and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2023.

Rostro criticized the response from law enforcement, especially considering the same deputy who responded to Friday’s attack performed CPR on her son on Monday.

In her plea for justice, Rostro urged anyone harboring Rivera to turn him in. She also provided hotline numbers for individuals seeking help with domestic violence situations.

If you or someone you know needs assistance with domestic violence, you can contact the Houston Area Women’s Center 24/7 hotline at 713-528-2121 or AVDA at 713-224-9911. Online chat support is also available. For those who are deaf or hard of hearing, call 713-528-3625 for assistance.