Woman charged with murder after fatal stabbing at southeast Houston apartment

A domestic argument inside a southeast Houston apartment turned fatal before dawn, leaving a 23-year-old man dead, three children in the unit and a 23-year-old woman now charged with murder. The case at Wesley Square Apartments on Calhoun Road has become a grim example of how quickly a relationship dispute can escalate into a homicide scene.

Houston police said officers were called to 7402 Calhoun Road, near the South Loop, at about 2:25 a.m. on June 5 after reports of a stabbing. When officers arrived, Houston Fire Department paramedics were already treating a man with a stab wound. Travis Jerome Powell was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Court records show Ariyanna Cooper was jailed and charged with murder in the case. Investigators initially said there was no known motive or suspect, but court documents described Cooper and Powell as sexual partners, placing the killing in the category of relationship-linked violence. ABC13 also reported that three children were inside the apartment when the stabbing happened, though their ages were not released.

Cooper’s arrest also drew attention because of her prior case history. ABC13 reported she had been charged in 2024 with aggravated assault after allegedly threatening a family member with a knife and received three years of deferred adjudication. That history does not resolve the murder case now moving through Harris County courts, but it adds to the record detectives and prosecutors were reviewing as they evaluated the deadly encounter.

The killing comes as Harris County officials continue to press a broader response to domestic violence. FOX 26 reported that homicides tied to domestic violence rose 34% between 2023 and 2024 in the county. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare has said the county is using a $7 million investment from Commissioners Court to expand proactive domestic-violence response efforts, including social workers and victim advocates.

Houston police say the Family Violence Unit works with the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and other partners on investigations, safety planning and victim services. The council’s resource list includes AVDA, the Houston Area Women’s Center, The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, DAYA, Bay Area Turning Point and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a reminder that apartment disputes can turn deadly long before neighbors fully grasp the danger.