Reid Rothenberg’s capital murder conviction was handed down on March 11, 2026, when a Tarrant County jury found him guilty of killing two people during a 2022 home invasion in Arlington, Texas. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.1Texas Courts. Judgment of Conviction, Reid Squire Rothenberg
The Arlington Home Invasion
Shortly after midnight on April 11, 2022, 911 callers reported gunshots on the 5300 block of Ivy Hill Drive in Arlington.2NBC DFW. Two Family Members Killed, Third Shot During Home Invasion Shooting in Arlington Three people were in the house: 84-year-old George Nitsche, his 67-year-old ex-wife Elizabeth Hearn, and Hearn’s 41-year-old son Matthew Stuart. Nitsche had sold his home in Joshua, Texas, and was staying at the Arlington residence while preparing to move to Florida.3Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Arlington Home Invasion Shooting Leaves Two Dead
Prosecutors said Rothenberg kicked in the front door and immediately opened fire.4Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Reid Rothenberg Life Sentence Press Release Nitsche was shot and killed on a couch at the back of the house. Assistant District Attorney Matt Rivers later told the jury, “He never saw it coming.”5CBS News Texas. Reid Rothenberg Capital Murder Conviction Rothenberg then chased Hearn and Stuart into the front yard, firing repeatedly.6Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Reid Rothenberg Found Guilty of Capital Murder Stuart died at a hospital. Hearn survived.2NBC DFW. Two Family Members Killed, Third Shot During Home Invasion Shooting in Arlington
How Police Identified Rothenberg
Arlington police said early on that the family had been specifically targeted and the attack was not random. Investigators pulled surveillance video from the neighborhood and from cameras Hearn had recently installed at the home.7Fox 4 News. Shooting at Arlington Home Leaves Two Dead, One Hurt
Rothenberg, then 34, was arrested on June 17, 2022, more than two months after the shooting. Police said they believed he knew at least one of the victims.8CBS News Texas. Arlington Police Arrest Double Homicide Suspect He was initially charged with capital murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and burglary of a habitation. The precise relationship between Rothenberg and the household, and his motive for the attack, have not been publicly disclosed.
The Trial and Verdict
The case was tried in the 396th District Court of Tarrant County before Judge Vincent Giardino. Rothenberg was found competent to stand trial and pleaded not guilty.1Texas Courts. Judgment of Conviction, Reid Squire Rothenberg
He was charged under Texas Penal Code § 19.03(a)(7), which makes a homicide a capital offense when the defendant kills more than one person during the same criminal act or scheme. On March 11, 2026, the jury found him guilty of capital murder, with a finding that a firearm was used in the offense.1Texas Courts. Judgment of Conviction, Reid Squire Rothenberg Assistant District Attorney Tad Schmidt told the jury, “This is not just a killing. This is a brutal homicide by someone who came to kill that night.”5CBS News Texas. Reid Rothenberg Capital Murder Conviction
Why He Got Life Instead of the Death Penalty
The State had sought the death penalty. During the punishment phase, the jury weighed Rothenberg’s future dangerousness and whether mitigating circumstances warranted a life sentence. At least ten jurors found that mitigating factors, including the circumstances of the offense and Rothenberg’s character and background, were sufficient to warrant life imprisonment without parole rather than execution.1Texas Courts. Judgment of Conviction, Reid Squire Rothenberg Under Texas law, that finding made life without parole the mandatory sentence.
At sentencing, Elizabeth Hearn addressed Rothenberg directly: “You tore my life apart. We will continue to heal, but it will be a struggle.”6Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Reid Rothenberg Found Guilty of Capital Murder Rothenberg, 37 at sentencing, was held at the Tarrant County Jail awaiting transfer to a state prison facility.9WFAA. Man Gets Life Without Parole for Arlington Double Homicide
The Appeal
Rothenberg’s defense filed a notice of appeal the same day he was sentenced. The case was first docketed at the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth as 02-26-00081-CR. On April 14, 2026, the Supreme Court of Texas transferred it to the Seventh Court of Appeals in Amarillo.10Texas Courts. Transfer Order, Rothenberg v. State No briefs or further docket activity had been publicly reported as of the transfer.