Crime & Safety

Drugs, Money And Kidnapping Nets 3 Arrests In Sugar Land

Eric Michael Spillers, 20, Marissa Ann Esparza, 21, and Alyssa Castellano, 20, all of Rosenberg, are charged with aggravated kidnapping.

SUGAR LAND, TX — Two women and one man are behind bars and face charges of aggravated kidnapping, after an incident at First Colony Mall on Feb. 26 that may have started as a botched drug deal.

Eric Michael Spillers, 20, Marissa Ann Esparza, 21, and Alyssa Castellano, 20, all of Rosenberg, were arrested on Mar 7 and have been charged with aggravated kidnapping.

Police said that on the afternoon of the shooting, a Fort Bend County Sheriff's deputy was flagged down by a man on U.S. Highway 59 southbound near Williams Way.

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The man said he was with a friend in the parking lot at the mall when they were confronted by a group of people.

The man said during this confrontation that someone pulled a pistol and fired at least two shots at him.

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The man told the deputy he jumped in his vehicle and drove off, leaving his friend behind who ran into the mall.

Alyssa Castellano, 20, Eric Michael Spillers, 20, and Marissa Ann Esparza, 21, all of Rosenberg, have been charged with aggravated kidnapping. (Courtesy Sugar Land PD)

During the course of the investigation, Sugar Land detectives learned that both groups of people knew each other, and that the subsequent shooting was the result of an incident in Rosenberg involving the theft of money and drugs

The victims were not completely cooperative or forthcoming with details; however, detectives later determined that a woman was with the two victims when the shots were fired at the mall.

Police learned that the woman had been kidnapped by the the shooters, later identified as Spillers, and that she'd been beaten and later released by the gunman and his friends, who were holding her for ransom.

All three are in the Fort Bend County Jail, with bail set at at $150,000 for Spillers and $100,000 for Esparza and Castellano.

Police said that other charges could be filed in this case.

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