A 17-year-old from Texas was arrested for his involvement in the fatal shooting of a grieving mother who was visiting her son’s gravesite. Local news outlet KWTX reports the suspect is identified as Christian Lamar Weston but listed as Christin Lamar Weston in online jail records. Weston was arrested last weekend and will be held without bond.
Authorities said the shooting occurred on Tuesday (Mar. 22) at the Calvary Baptist Church Garden of Memories Cemetery shortly after 5 p.m. According to her ex-husband, Yolanda N’Gaojia was visiting their son’s gravesite in honor of what would have been his 22nd birthday. Amir died on New Year’s Day 2022. The local Justice of the Peace pronounced the 52-year-old woman dead two hours after officers responded to the gunfire. Another individual was also wounded on the scene, but they survived and was treated for minor injuries on the spot.
Weston was officially charged with murder after the Bell County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case, per a press release. The teenager was also arraigned for the unlicensed carrying of a weapon charge. This is a separate count from the murder charge, which is a first-degree felony.
The probable-cause affidavit for Weston’s arrest states, “Witnesses reported that while they were visiting the cemetery, a vehicle stopped in the (road) and at least one individual exited … and began firing at them. Yolanda N’Gaojia, one of the visitors (to) the cemetery, was struck by a bullet and died of the injury. Detectives learned that (another man) was visiting the cemetery with the victim and was potentially the intended target of the shooting.” The alleged “intended target” and Weston are affiliated with rival street gangs.
The document shows the man with N’Gaojia “posted on social media while visiting the cemetery and witnesses also reported that an individual believed to be (him) had returned gunfire to the shooter. The day after the shooting, officers located a silver Mercedes abandoned in a field. The vehicle had apparent bullet holes to the exterior.” The car’s registered owners told investigators he sold the car to a family member, which led to a search warrant for cell tower location data for both suspects’ phone numbers.
The affidavit proves both suspects were at the gravesite at the time of the shooting. Authorities wrote, “The location data on the day of the shooting shows both individuals at their home addresses prior to the shooting. The phone of (another suspect) then travels to suspect Weston’s home address, and both phones began traveling in the direction of the cemetery.”