Ah, Mackenzie Park. The crown jewel of Lubbock where you can enjoy a picnic, watch the prairie dogs develop plague, or, apparently, get executed by your own nephew. In a move that surprised absolutely no one who has ever sat through a Lubbock County court proceeding, Justin Aleman officially traded his trial date for a plea deal on Thursday, admitting he murdered his uncle, his uncle’s girlfriend, and their dog back in 2024.
Because this is Lubbock—where we love a good “buy one, get one” deal—Judge William Eichman handed down 50-year sentences for each murder and 10 years for killing the dog. But don’t worry, they’re running concurrently. In Texas math, that means killing three living beings costs you the same amount of time as killing one. It’s the ultimate loyalty rewards program for the criminally inclined; do the crime once, and the second and third ones are basically on the house.
The backstory is a classic West Texas “family dispute” that escalated faster than the price of a beer at a Tech game. On a lovely September morning in 2024, Justin and his brother Joziah Aleman rolled up to the 300 block of Cesar E. Chavez Drive. Joziah told police he only showed up with the “intent of engaging in a physical fight” with his uncle, Angel Aleman. You know, just a little casual Tuesday morning fraternal bonding via assault. Unfortunately, Justin decided to skip the fisticuffs and went straight for the firearm, ending the lives of Angel, Lydia Hernandez, and their dog, Monster.
While Justin prepares to spend at least 25 years (until parole eligibility kicks in) wondering why he didn’t just use his words, his brother Joziah is still chilling in the Lubbock County Detention Center on an $85,000 bond. Meanwhile, the victims’ family is left to deal with the social media fallout and the realization that their family tree is looking more like a police blotter.
With Justin eligible for parole by the time he’s 52, it’s comforting to know he’ll be back on the streets just in time to catch the 2051 Joyland reopening that will inevitably be promised and never happen.
Is there anything more “Lubbock” than a family reunion that ends at UMC and a plea deal that feels like a slap on the wrist with a velvet glove?
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