Father Allegedly Shot and Killed Amazon Driver, 25, Who He Thought Was His Daughter's Boyfriend By Erin Clack

A Texas man has been charged with murder in an apparent case of mistaken identity.

Jonathan Ross Mata, 39, is accused of fatally shooting a man whom he believed was his daughter’s boyfriend, according to a news release from the Houston Police Department (HPD).

Around 1 a.m. local time on Dec. 25, 2025, the victim, identified by police as 25-year-old Desmond Butler, drove his gray Honda Pilot into a gas station parking lot in the 9900 block of Bellaire. When Butler pulled into the lot, he passed Mata’s black GMC Acadia, which was parked at one of the pumps, the HPD said.

As Butler drove past the GMC, a woman, identified as Mata’s wife, got out and began chasing his Honda and attempting to open the vehicle’s back passenger door, believing Mata’s daughter was inside, per the release. At the same time, Mata exited the GMC and fired his gun at Butler’s car as it exited the parking lot, the HPD said.

The department released surveillance video showing the incident unfolding in the parking lot.

Butler then attempted to drive away when he was struck by gunfire and crashed his vehicle into a pole in an adjacent parking lot, per the HPD. Mata and the woman got back into the GMC and drove away, heading northbound on the West Sam Houston Parkway feeder road.

Houston Fire Department paramedics transported Butler to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The HPD said that an investigation determined that Mata and his wife had received a phone call from their daughter claiming that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend. They then drove to the gas station parking lot, expecting their daughter to be dropped off there. The couple believed that Butler’s female passenger was their daughter, according to the HPD.

Mata and Butler did not know each other, the HPD said.

Mata turned himself in on Wednesday, Jan. 14, “without incident” and was booked into the Harris County Jail. He has been released on $50,000 bond and will appear in court on Feb. 25.

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According to local outlet KHOU 11, court documents reveal that Butler’s female passenger told police that the shooter drove up to the Honda after the crash, opened the vehicle’s door and looked inside. The shooter then said he was looking for his “kidnapped” daughter, apologized and said he would call 911.

According to court documents, that 911 call was never made. Three weeks after the incident, Mata, his wife and their attorney went to HPD headquarters, where Mata allegedly confessed to the shooting.

Mata told investigators that he fired two shots to stop the Honda and that he didn’t realize he had struck Butler, KHOU 11 reported, citing the court documents. He said he failed to call 911 because he was “scared.”

Butler’s family told the outlet that they are “devastated” by his death. “We just want answers on why him. My brother was a light of joy,” his sister, Destiny, said.

She said Butler moved from their home in Georgia to Houston in 2023 to work for Amazon, becoming a manager.

“We’re keeping each other tight and close and keeping his memories alive,” Destiny said of how the family is navigating their loss.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.