Man In Texas Accused Of Murdering Lifelong Friend After Party Claims Not To Remember Shooting, Cops Say

The deadly shooting of a driver on a Houston-area freeway is blamed on a passenger in his pickup truck, who was considered a lifelong friend.

Jose Paredes-Martinez, 22, is charged with murdering Samuel Mata, 23, police said. Mata's body was found on the morning of April 10 after the pickup crashed into a concrete barrier.

Mata's sister, Nereyda Gonzalez Mata, told KTRK-TV that the young men had known each other since elementary school.

Mata and Paredes-Martinez were together Easter Sunday night at a bar and a house party. Mata reportedly told his girlfriend that next morning he was heading home, but the shooting happened first.

Detectives say Paredes-Martinez could not remember shooting Mata. He reportedly pointed a gun at a Harris County Sheriff's Deputy, but could not fire it.

The victim's sister says Paredes-Martinez shot Mata twice.

Paredes-Martinez went free April 11 after posting $250,000 bond, but the bond was doubled the next day, after a federal judge ruled the amount “insufficient.”

Paredes-Martinez now is held by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, as he reportedly has admitted he is a citizen of Mexico.

A GoFundMe account set up by Mata's sister had nearly $12,000 in pledges Thursday morning.

“His death came as a total shock to all of us who love him,” Gonzalez Mata wrote on the GoFundMe page.