Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Texas Man Fatally Shot Neighbor Who Had Helped His Wife and Baby Flee to Mexico
Hector Campos claimed he feared that neighbor Ana Weed would use the packing tape she was holding to choke him with, and that he shot her in self-defense.
On January 24, 2017, first responders rushed to the scene of a shooting in Spring, Texas, located in the Houston area.
They found 53-year-old Ana Weed lying in the grass and being tended to by her husband, Scott Weed.
Hector Campos, the neighbor who had shot Ana, was standing next door in his driveway.
“Law enforcement cleared everybody back so paramedics could do their job,” journalist Tracy Clemons told Kill or Be Killed, airing Saturdays at 9/8c p.m. on Oxygen.
Ana was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, while Campos was detained in the backseat of a patrol car.
Campos waited for his attorney before speaking with officials, according to Det. Casey Parker of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The crime scene unit collected evidence including a white towel with blood on it and a spent shell casing.
For more from Kill or Be Killed:
Michigan Man Fatally Shot Brother-In-Law After His Stash of $250,000 Vanished: "I Was Afraid"
Grandmother Shot Grandson and Kept Firing During His Desperate 911 Call: "I'm Gonna Die"
Man with History of Chilling Abuse Allegations Shot Dead on the Side of the Road
Where was Ana Weed shot?
Investigators pinpointed where the incident took place, according to Parker, who stressed, “Was it on the property of Hector Campos? Or was it on the property of Ana Weed?” The evidence indicated that this shooting occurred right on the borderline of the two properties, according to Parker.
Because the dispute appeared to take place at the property line, and it appeared that all that Ana had in her hands was a roll of tape, it was not a “stand your ground” case — one in which someone facing an imminent threat can use deadly force.
“This is a neighbor-to-neighbor dispute and not a ‘stand your ground,’” said Parker.
At the hospital, Ana, who’d been shot in the chest, was rushed into surgery, but doctors couldn’t save her.
Who was Ana Weed?
Ana’s mother, Virginia Montalvo, described her firstborn as “funny, very smart and very protective.”
Ana’s brother, Arnold Aldrete, likened his family to “the Brady Bunch," noting there were "three girls and three boys.” Ana, the eldest sibling, was always the “team leader," he said.
She had two children from her first marriage that ended in divorce. Scott considered her “his soulmate,” said Montalvo.
Awaiting the arrival of Campos’ lawyer, Parker learned that multiple calls were made to 911 after the shooting. One came from Campos.
Hector Campos claims self-defense in Ana Weed shooting
During the 911 call, Campos indicated that he’d fired his gun in self-defense, according to Parker. “We had no indications that Ana had a weapon in her hand that would cause a threat,” she said.
Authorities tried to determine what made Campos fear for his life. “In order for Hector to be acquitted, he and his attorneys have to convince the jury that he believed he was in imminent danger,” Clemons said.
RELATED: Pennsylvania Man Fatally Shot By Neighbor After Bitter Feud Involving Dogs and Jet Skis
At the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Campos told his side of the story alongside his lawyer. He said that he was outside cleaning a truck when Ana appeared with her dog.
“The dog comes over onto Hector's property and is barking at him,” Parker said. “He kicks at the dog because the dog has been known to bite.”
“Hector says that Ana is yelling at him for kicking her dog and she had clear packing tape in her hand” and was holding it “in an aggressive manner,” added Parker. Campos said he pulled the trigger out of fear that Ana could use it to choke him, according to according to Houston-based station KPRC.
A roll of clear packing tape was recovered from the scene. “The tape that was not on a dispenser with a metal edge,” said Parker. “Just the tape.”
Tension between neighbors Hector Campos and Ana Weed
During the police interview, Campos revealed that his wife and daughter had “fled to Mexico” in June of 2016, according to Parker.
“Ana Weed was the one that drove his estranged wife and daughter to the airport to flee from Hector,” Parker added.
Investigators learned that prior to the shooting, there had been other incidents between the neighbors. Ana once had to be restrained by officers, according to Campos’ defense attorney Jessica Estrada.
“The times that Hector called the police is when he felt his safety was being threatened,” said Estrada. “He had never had a brush with the law. He was a lawfully concealed handgun licensee.”
In Texas, the law of self-defense encompasses "apparent danger," which takes prior incidents and threats into consideration.
Campos was ultimately charged with first-degree murder. “The sentencing range on that is five years to life,” said Joshua Phanco, a former assistant DA with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
According to Kill or Be Killed, Ana became close with Campos’ wife during her pregnancy and remained close with her after her daughter was born in early 2016.
Prior to this, the Weeds never even knew that Campos was married. The reason they were in the dark for years was because Campos “dead-bolted” his wife inside their home, said Montalvo.
The incident that sparked Ana Weed and Hector Campos' feud
In the spring of 2016, Campos’ wife wanted to take their infant daughter to Mexico to visit family. Campos was initially on board with the idea, but later changed his mind, according to Clemons.
Ana bought plane tickets for her neighbor and infant daughter and brought them to the airport, igniting a feud with Campos.
“The problem between Ana and Hector Campos started after his wife left,” said Aldrete. “Hector had it in his mind that it was Ana’s fault.” Campos eventually filed for divorce from his wife, Oxygen.com reported.
That cast the shooting in a new light. “There was more to this case than just a neighbor-on-neighbor shooting,” said Phanco. “Retaliation is the exact opposite of self-defense.”
Investigators learned that Campos’ wife was back in Texas with her daughter, and living in a women’s shelter. Investigators had a conversation with her that yielded little information, according to Kill or Be Killed.
“It was 100% a case of ‘he said, she said,’” Clemons said. “And the ‘she’ in this case was dead.”
RELATED: How to Watch Oxygen's Kill or Be Killed, Which Explores Gripping Self-Defense Murder Cases
Dr. Phil gets involved in the case
About a month after the shooting, the case took an unexpected and high-profile turn. Campos appeared on the talk show, Dr. Phil and said that he fired his gun in self-defense. Ana’s family was also interviewed by host Phil McGraw. They said Campos pulled the trigger in revenge.
The TV appearance underscored that the case could be up for interpretation, according to Phanco.
Bill Ogden, the attorney for Ana’s family, told Kill or Be Killed that Campos eventually secured high-profile trial defense lawyer Chip Lewis, who's known for having represented Robert Durst.
Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas in August of 2017, and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the criminal proceedings until June 2022.
RELATED: Las Vegas Performer Strangled and Cut Off Dancer's Legs Before Burying Her in Cement
Hector Campos goes on trial
At the trial, prosecutors sought to show the jury that Campos knew what he was doing when he shot Ana. The defense team had to convince the jury that he believed he was in imminent danger, according to Clemons.
The defense asserted that Ana had come at Campos with “a shiny object,” according to Kill or Be Killed.
Ana’s family testified about the complicated relationship between the next-door neighbors. Campos’ brother was a character witness for the defendant.
Hector Campos testified on his own behalf. He told the court that the Weeds “were drunk and that they would say curse words to him,” said juror Juanita Salinas. “It did plant a few seeds of doubt in my head.”
In the end, Campos, then 48, was found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to 45 years behind bars.
Ana’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Campos and were awarded a $70 million judgment.
To learn more about the case — including the fate of Scott Weed following his wife’s murder, featured in the “Kill Thy Neighbor” episode — watch Kill or Be Killed on Saturdays at 9/8c p.m. on Oxygen.
