Mother of accused Pasadena cop killer speaks out

12:29 AM CDT on Thursday, September 17, 2009

By Jeremy Desel / 11 News

PASADENA, Texas – The mother of a man accused of killing a Pasadena police officer says the tragic death could have been avoided. She's calling for an investigation.

The last time Olga Robles saw her son Sergio Robles, she thought it would be the last.

He'd been shot by police after allegedly taking the life of Pasadena Officer Jessie Hamilton in a shoot out on his mother's porch. She says the shooting never should have happened.

"He's had psychological problems for years. Three years ago he was abused by police officers, so you know, he now fears them. They psychologically messed him up," Robles said.

Robles says her son had responded to mental health medication, but his family believes that he was not getting the medication consistently while he was in the Harris County Jail. He been arrested for DUI and served 13 days of a 30 day sentence before being released.

Robles had only been out of jail for a few hours before the shooting occurred.

"I pray that nobody ever has to go through this because my son has suffered. And he is continuing to suffer. If only he would have had his meds. He was doing good for three years," Robles said through tears.

Robles didn't want to talk about what happened on her porch early that August morning, but she did want to talk about what happened before bullets flew.

"We never wanted this to happen. If anything, I called MHMR and they told me what to do. I did my part. I told the officers and the detectives that I had called them," Robles said.

MHMRA is the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County. Olga Robles says when her son started getting out of control in her home after getting out of the jail she called the agency's hotline first.

"They told me to call 911 and tell them you want a crisis intervention training officer. That's what I did," Robles said.

Robles says that Pasadena Police Department told her they were trying to find an officer with that training.

Officer Jesse Hamilton got there first.

Now Hamilton is dead and Robles is back in the Harris County Jail facing capital murder.

Community activist Quanell X also visited Sergio Robles Wednesday evening.

"I don't think that mentally he can even comprehend where he is or the gravity of what he is facing. What he has done," said Quanell X.

With Sergio behind bars, his family is again wondering about his care – both physically and mentally.