Jury returns guilty verdict in woman's 2024 shooting death
By Olivier Uyttebrouck
Published on April 24, 2026.
Houston Coate, 33, has been convicted of first-degree felony murder in the 2024 shooting death of 33-year-old Barbara "Barbie" Chavez. The murder charge requires Coate to serve at least 30 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. The prosecution's case was complicated by the death of a key witness just weeks after Chavez was killed. Bryce Stephens, who was inside the apartment at the time, identified the gunman as "Houston." No arrests have been made in Stephens' killing.
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