David Elijah Herrera faces a capital murder charge after authorities traced a vehicle from Houston into neighboring Liberty County.
HOUSTON, Texas — License plate cameras and information provided by a witness helped authorities locate a man now charged with capital murder after Dariela Elizabeth Cardona and Erick Von Gerbitz were fatally shot outside a north Houston home Monday, according to police and court records.
David Elijah Herrera, 31, was arrested in Liberty County less than two hours after Houston officers were called to the shooting on Lindale Street. He is charged with capital murder in the 209th Criminal District Court in connection with the deaths of Cardona, 29, and Gerbitz, 41. Prosecutors have sought to have Herrera held without bail. The charge is an allegation, and the case has not been resolved.
Houston police said officers responded to 905 Lindale Street at about 8:15 a.m. Oct. 5 and found a man and woman suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced both dead at the scene. Authorities later identified them as Cardona and Gerbitz.
Investigators quickly focused on a red vehicle seen leaving the area. Police said a member of the public supplied information that helped identify the vehicle, including license plate information. Houston investigators then used Flock Safety license plate cameras to follow its movement away from the city and into Liberty County.
Authorities there were alerted to the vehicle. Officials said law enforcement officers spotted the red Ford and followed it before conducting a high-risk traffic stop northeast of Houston. Herrera surrendered and was taken into custody. Court records cited in local reports listed the arrest time as 10:17 a.m., about two hours after the shooting was reported.
Houston police said Herrera was transferred back to their custody after his arrest. Officers also took possession of the vehicle as evidence. A Liberty County law enforcement official told Univision that firearms were found inside the vehicle, but authorities had not publicly established whether any of those weapons were used in the Lindale Street shooting.
The arrest illustrates how a combination of witness information and automated license plate readers can rapidly narrow a search across county lines. In this case, police said the information supplied by a citizen helped investigators identify the vehicle before the camera system tracked it northeast of Houston. Authorities have not released all of the surveillance material or other evidence collected in the investigation.
Police have described the killings as a suspected domestic violence incident. Investigators said Herrera had previously been in a relationship with Cardona. Local reports, citing police and family members, said Cardona and Gerbitz had recently resumed their relationship. Gerbitz was the father of one of Cardona’s children, while Cardona was a mother of two.
Cardona and Gerbitz had taken their young son to school before returning to the home Monday morning, according to local reports. Police said the shooting occurred after children in the neighborhood had left for school. Authorities have not released a full minute-by-minute account of the encounter that preceded the gunfire.
After Herrera was returned to Harris County, Houston police said investigators consulted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and a capital murder charge was filed. Court records cited by local media say prosecutors have asked a judge to deny bail. If bail were granted, prosecutors requested restrictions that would include no contact with the victims’ families and restrictions on possessing firearms.
Authorities have said the case remains part of a broader concern about domestic violence and violent crime in the Houston area. During the initial investigation, Houston Police Department Capt. Ryan Watson said domestic violence was driving a portion of the city’s violent crime and stressed that such cases can escalate into deadly encounters.
Herrera remained in custody as his case entered the court system Wednesday. His initial bail proceeding had been scheduled for Oct. 7. The investigation into the deaths of Cardona and Gerbitz remains active, and authorities have not publicly announced a final finding on every circumstance leading to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated October 7, 2026.