Connor Hilton was a seventeen year old living in Friendswood Texas when he would murder one friend and attempted to murder another
According to court documents Connor Hilton would invite two friends, Ethan Riley and Benjamin Bliek, plus another person over to his home
When the group arrived Connor Hilton would fatally shoot Ethan Riley and severely injure Benjamin Bliek
When Connor Hilton was arrested he would tell police that he thought about killing someone for a long time to know what it felt like. Hilton would also tell police that there was no fight or argument leading up to the shooting
Connor Hilton would plead guilty to murder and aggravated assault. He would receive a fifty year sentence for murder and twenty years for the aggravated assault. The sentences are to be served concurrently or at the same time
Connor Hilton Current Information
SID Number: 20807836
TDCJ Number: 02574679
Name: HILTON,CONNOR LYNN
Race: W
Gender: M
Age: 19
Maximum Sentence Date: 2075-08-22
Current Facility: BETO
Projected Release Date: 2075-08-22
Parole Eligibility Date: 2050-08-22
Inmate Visitation Eligible: YES
Connor Hilton Case
In a courtroom heavy with emotion, Connor Hilton pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and aggravated assault in a December 2023 shooting at his home that killed Ethan Riley, 18, and critically injured Benjamin Bliek, 20.
The plea brought a mix of grief, anger and what seemed to be quiet relief as families and friends of the victims listened to the charges read aloud.
Hilton’s voice trembled slightly as he struggled to say the word “guilty.”
Hilton, 18 and just days from his 19th birthday, broke down in tears and struggled to stand as Judge Rebecca Millo of 10th District Court read aloud the charges and punishment for each — 50 years for murder, 20 years for aggravated assault.
The grim process that began with two shots fired in a tidy house in a quiet Friendswood neighborhood ended quickly after Millo ruled Aug. 25 against a defense strategy to blame an acne drug called Accutane for the shootings.
Without that, the defense had little to work with, attorney Rick DeToto said.
Defense attorneys had presented an expert witness to testify the medication induced a psychotic episode and that Hilton was under its influence when he shot his two young friends in the head.
Hilton himself made the decision to plead guilty, however, DeToto said. He didn’t want to force the families to testify, the attorney said.
But Bliek did testify in a way during the highly charged proceeding. His statement was short and direct as he faced Hilton from the stand.
“Stop sniveling,” Bliek told Hilton. His tone was anger as he struggled to speak, still recovering after 18 months of rehabilitation from a gunshot wound to the head.
“Stop crying. You did this to yourself. For the grief you caused the Riley family, for the grief you caused my family, I will never forgive you,” he said.
Bliek’s mother, Shannon Bliek, was the next to take the stand.
She recalled getting the call to go to the hospital that December morning and the officers waiting there to tell her what had happened.
She described the surgery Bliek had to undergo as he fought for his life.
She told the court about all the struggles her son had endured over the past 18 months and the challenges he will face for the rest of his life.
“He doesn’t like to talk about what happened,” she said, recounting how Bliek had to relearn how to speak and move his arm.
Her tone softened slightly as she turned to Hilton.
“Connor I’m sorry that evil got over you,” she said. “I pray for you and I know if you ask the Lord he will give you what you need.”
Shannon Bliek then addressed Hilton’s mother, Johnece Hilton, questioning how Connor Hilton was allowed access to a gun. She asked why anyone would allow their child to have a firearm.
A probable cause affidavit stated that Connor Hilton told investigators his mother had purchased the handgun for him and that he “wanted the gun with the intent of shooting someone and/or himself.”
His attorney, Jennifer “J.L.” Carpenter, said she doesn’t know why Hilton made those statements to officers.
According to both police and Hilton’s attorneys, Johnece Hilton did not break any laws in how the weapon was stored or in how her son accessed it, legal experts said.
The final impact statement came from Ethan Riley’s father, Matthew Riley, while Ethan’s mother, Tara Riley, stood silently behind him.
“I sit here with so much love — love in my heart for my son, Ethan Matthew Riley,” Matthew Riley said as he struggled to speak.
“He was a beautiful soul full of love and light. You could see that light in his eyes and hear it in his laughter.”
With the statements concluded, Millo adjourned the courtroom, and Hilton was taken into custody to serve his sentence in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility.
After the court was dismissed, the defense team held a short press conference with Hilton’s parents.
Carpenter emphasized how remorseful Hilton was and reiterated the strength of the acne medication Accutane.
Hilton’s father, Neal Hilton, said he hopes his son’s story can help prevent this from happening to another family.
“I certainly feel like I will be an advocate against it and just for overall awareness,” he said.
Prosecutor Kayla Allen, in her press conference, said Hilton knew what he was doing and had nothing to blame but himself.
The two sentences of 50 and 20 years will be served concurrently. Hilton will be eligible for parole in 25 years.
Friendswood teen shooter face sentence, victims in charged courtroom | Local News | The Daily News
