A Houston teen who shot his ex-girlfriend 22 times has been taken into custody and charged with murder. 

The victim, identified as 16-year-old Diamond Alvarez, was fatally shot as she walked her pet dog a couple of blocks from her home in southwest Houston on January 11.

Her family began looking for her when they heard gunshots and then the dog returned home on his own. Her body was found by a field where the victim had taken her dog on walks most nights.

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Houston police announced on Tuesday that the suspect, identified as 17-year Frank Deleon Jr., was taken into custody on Monday and charged with murder. He was being held in the Harris County Jail on a $250,000 bond for Deleon.

Prosecutors said Alvarez was shot 22 times and that the suspect was “attempting to pack his bags to flee” when he was taken into custody. 

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Alvarez’s mother, Anna Machado, told the authorities that Deleon was her daughter’s former boyfriend and had asked her to meet him at the field shortly before she was shot dead.

Investigation revealed that the two had been going out for less than a year and that Alvarez had recently learned that Deleon was dating another girl while they were still in a relationship. 

Machado told local media that she never saw any red flags to warn her that her daughter was in danger, but that “they were off and on.”

“My daughter was always crying about him,” Machado said.

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She added that her family is relieved that an arrest has been made in connection with the killing. The girl’s relatives have been keeping vigil at a makeshift memorial with candles, stuffed animals and balloons that was set up near where her daughter’s body was found.

“I went up over there (to the memorial) again, crying and said: ‘Baby you have justice. It’s not done yet. It’s not over yet. But at least we know a name,'” Machado said.

With inputs from The Associated Press