Humble teen who murdered mom and put her body in a trunk in 2022 sentenced to 40 years

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The Humble teenager who murdered his mother and drove across the country with her body in the trunk nearly two years ago has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Tyler Roenz, now 19, accepted a plea deal in Harris County. At the time of the crime, he was 17 years old.

Authorities reported that on October 13, 2022, Tyler killed his 49-year-old mother, Michelle Roenz, at their home. He then placed her body in the trunk of the family’s black Mazda and began driving north.

Tyler’s father reported his wife and son missing after discovering their car was gone, along with finding a human tooth and blood inside their Humble home.

A CLEAR Alert triggered a widespread search for the mother and son, with suspicious charges on Michelle’s credit card appearing in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Law enforcement tracked Tyler using license plate readers as he traveled through Oklahoma and Kansas. He was arrested in Nebraska the day after the murder following a chase that ended in a car crash.

Michelle’s body was discovered in the trunk, and an autopsy revealed she had been strangled and beaten.

After being hospitalized from the crash, Tyler was eventually released and extradited back to Texas.

In addition to the murder charge, Tyler pled guilty to tampering with evidence, receiving a concurrent 20-year sentence. As part of the plea deal, two other felony charges were dismissed.

Tyler must serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole and cannot appeal the convictions or prison sentences.