Dad Kills Daughter's Girlfriend, Mother in Southeast Austin

Angry that his daughter was in a lesbian relationship, an Austin father allegedly shot and killed his daughter's girlfriend Monday night. According to police, Jose Alfonso Aviles knocked on the front door of the home of Norma Hurtado, 24, and her mother, Maria Hurtado. When the women answered, he killed both of them. Aviles's daughter, who remains unidentified but is believed to be 18, was reportedly inside the home and found the victims.

The murder is the tragic end to what is a confusing and heartbreaking story. Beginning in the fall, Aviles allegedly began sending harassing text messages to Norma and her mother including one where he threatened to kill her. In research done by the Austin American-Statesman, online records show that police had responded to two disturbances between Norma and Aviles in recent months: one for sexual assault and one for domestic violence.

According to the Statesman:

"The daughter's "family was quite upset over this relationship," Austin police Lt. Gena Curtis said Tuesday. "This had been an ongoing dispute between these families and it turned tragic, into a horrific act of violence with the death of two individuals."

Aviles, who was -- according to his wife -- drunk at the time of the murder, left the Hurtado home after the shooting and went to the home of a relative. Still drunk and with a pistol in his waistband, Aviles told his relative that he had "done something." The relative called the police.

With more than twenty-four law enforcement officials and a San Antonio helicopter involved in the search, Aviles was eventually found in Bexar County on Tuesday morning. He is being held without bail and will be transferred back to Travis County.

Reaction to the murder has been swift and polarizing. City Councilwoman Randi Shade, who is currently running for re-election and is openly gay, released a statement this morning saying,

"I am very upset by Monday night's senseless crime against a mother and her daughter. Our city does not tolerate family violence in any form. I grieve with their family and with the entire community. I pray for justice and the opportunity for all of us to live in a community free of hate."

The story has been picked up nationwide, with mentions on Yahoo! News, the Advocate and even the Australian.