Texas Man Allegedly Kills Three Relatives, Claims Self-Defense During Fake Home Invasion

Bryan J. Fernandez Hernandez, inset, allegedly murdered his mom, sister and brother-in-law in Houston, then told cops the relatives were burglars.

A man in Texas is facing three counts of capital murder after allegedly killing his mother, sister, and brother-in-law and falsely claiming it was in self-defense during a home invasion, according to Houston police.

Bryan J. Fernandez Hernandez, 27, called Houston police around 3 p.m. on Saturday, reporting a home invasion at his residence in the 10500 block of Hammerly Boulevard. He told officers he had shot three intruders in self-defense. Upon arrival, officers found two women and a man dead inside the apartment.

Hernandez reiterated his story about the home invasion to detectives, but further investigation and evidence from the scene revealed that there had been no break-in. Police determined that Hernandez had murdered his relatives: his mother, 65-year-old Leonor Hernandez, who lived with him; his sister, 43-year-old Karen Herrera; and her husband, 38-year-old Thomas Kupriakov, who had been visiting for several days.

"The home invasion deal, it’s not true. My mom, sister, and her husband were all executed in their apartment," the suspect’s half-brother, Carlos Flores, told local ABC affiliate KTRK.

According to police, they had previously responded to Hernandez's home twice since last year for mental health-related incidents involving him. Flores noted that their mother often tried to protect Hernandez despite his violent tendencies.

"My mom fought with all of us because of him. She always tried to protect him and that’s where it got her," Flores said. "My brother needs to pay for what he did, and he needs to assume the consequences and take charge of that."

Hernandez is currently being held at the Harris County Jail without bond, with his next court date scheduled for July 24.