McKinney Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Two Brothers in 2024

Emiliano Miguel Zapatero was 16 years old when surveillance cameras captured him firing 13 shots at two brothers near the corner of Chestnut Street and Colorado Street in McKinney. He is now 17, and under a life sentence that bars him from parole for at least four decades.

Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced the conviction and sentencing following Zapatero's capital murder case in the deaths of 17-year-old Kajerrlyawn Jordan Jerome Mack and 22-year-old Lamarrya Dwayne Ransem, who were brothers. Both were killed on November 9, 2024, at approximately 5:50 p.m., after McKinney Police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunshots in the area.

Community members were already on the scene when officers arrived, pressing their hands to the victims' wounds before paramedics could get there. Both Mack and Ransem were transported to a nearby hospital but were later pronounced dead. The Collin County Medical Examiner formally identified them as brothers.

Zapatero was arrested approximately four days later, on November 13, 2024, and was certified to stand trial as an adult given the nature of the crime. Texas law prohibited applying the death penalty because Zapatero was under 18 at the time of the offense, instead mandating life in prison with parole eligibility after 40 years. Critically, Zapatero cannot use good conduct time to shorten that minimum, meaning no early-release pathway exists.

"This conviction and life sentence deliver accountability for the brutal murder of two men," Willis said after sentencing. "No family should have to bury loved ones because of this kind of senseless violence."

Zapatero was not the only person charged. Roman Miguel Castillo, 21, was arrested earlier that same week, and a second juvenile was taken into custody shortly after. Both face capital murder charges in connection with the same shooting.

McKinney Police Officer Darryl Saffold singled out the bystanders who rushed to help Mack and Ransem before emergency responders arrived. "We want to take a moment to thank the community members who aided the victims before emergency responders arrived," Saffold said. "The quick actions are deeply appreciated and exemplify the compassion and solidarity of our community."

For the families of Mack and Ransem, the sentence means Zapatero will not be parole-eligible until approximately 2066. The cases against Castillo and the second juvenile defendant remain open.