September 1, 2023 - Houston police are asking for the public's help in locating a suspect charged and wanted in the fatal shooting of a woman at 8500 Rannie Road about 4:45 a.m. on February 6, 2021.

The suspect, Romualdo Josue Mendez, 31, is charged with murder in the 351st State District Court. A 2013 booking photo of Mendez, who is not in custody, is attached to this news release.

The victim is identified as Stacey Berghoff, 35.

HPD Homicide Division Sergeants M. Arrington and A. Dudley reported:

Ms. Berghoff and a male friend were looking through discarded furniture left outside by neighborhood residents when an unknown Hispanic male suspect blocked the woman's vehicle parked in the center of the road in the 8600 block of Rayson Road. The suspect exited his silver Ford F-150 pickup truck and confronted the victim over her parked vehicle. The argument escalated into a physical altercation and fight. Berghoff cut or stabbed at the suspect with a pocket knife to create separation from him, returned to her vehicle and then left the scene.

The suspect went to his truck, chased after Berghoff and eventually caught up with her vehicle in the 8500 block of Rannie Road. There, the suspect fired multiple shots into the driver’s side of Berghoff's vehicle, striking her one time and causing her to lose control of her vehicle. Berghoff's friend (passenger) managed to stop the vehicle. The suspect fled the scene. Paramedics arrived and pronounced Berghoff deceased at the scene. The suspect was described only as a Hispanic male in his early 30s, about 6 feet tall and an average build.

On Feb. 21, 2021, a composite sketch of the wanted suspect and a photo of his vehicle, a silver, Ford F-150 pickup truck were released to the public. Both photos are attached to this news release.

Further investigation identified the suspect as Romualdo Josue Mendez and, on April 16, 2022, a murder charge was filed. Since that time, efforts to locate Mendez have been unsuccessful.

Detectives are asking for the public's assistance to provide any information on Mendez's whereabouts by contacting the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speaking anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.