on edge

Connecticut shootings bring back painful memories in Waller less than a yearafter attempted attack

Trey Sesler killed his parents and brother in March before attempting a massshooting at Waller Junior High.
Photo courtesy of KHOU Houston/Channel 11
When Sesler arrived at the school with his guns, however, the 22-year-old had areported change of heart.
Waller ISD
The incident still resonates throughout Waller, especially in the wake of SandyHook Elementary shootings (memorialized above).
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In the wake of Friday's abhorrent shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, unnerving memories have returned for citizens of Waller, where Trey Sesler killed his parents and brother last March before attempting a Columbine-style attack at his former junior high school.

While the then 22-year-old ultimately backed out of his plans for the mass shooting, the murders and the possible outcome still resonate throughout the small community northwest of Houston.

“He actually loaded his weapons and went to the school and waited on the children to exit the building. As they started exiting, he had a change of heart."

“It’s still very painful," one area resident told KHOU Ch. 11 on Monday. “It’s still just so unbelievable. This kind of tragedy can happen in any town.”

During interviews with investigators, Sesler said he prepared for the attacks by killing livestock, shooting empty buildings and setting fires.

Following the triple murder, Sesler explained to authorities that he killed his parents and brother so they wouldn't have to be ashamed of what he planned to do. But when he finally arrived to the school, something made him change his course.

“He actually loaded his weapons and went to the school and waited on the children to exit the building. As they started exiting, he had a change of heart,” recalled Waller police chief Phil Rehak. "That’s about as close as you can get without firing a first shot.”

After securing a controversial plea agreement, Sesler currently spends life in prison with no chance of parole.

Watch the full KHOU Ch. 11 report:

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”