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Humble, Texas — A Black man has been charged with murder after a White woman was fatally shot at a hotel just outside Houston.
According to the Houston Police Department, officers responded to reports of a shooting on January 25 at the Travel Inn, located at 17607 Eastex Freeway Rd in Humble, Texas.
Upon arrival, they found a White woman, later identified as 32-year-old Hannah Baygents, unresponsive with a gunshot wound. She was transported to a nearby hospital, where she later died.
Baygents, a White mother, leaves behind several children, a boyfriend, and numerous family members and friends.
The following day, police identified Romeo Senegal, a 26-year-old Black male as the suspect. He was arrested “without incident and booked into the Harris County Jail.”
Romeo Senegal was charged with the murder and made his first court appearance on January 27. According to police, the shooting was the result of an argument with no further details released.
A man named James, who said he is the husband of Baygents’ mother confirmed the victim’s identity on January 26, a claim that was verified by ABC 13 in Houston.
“I come on here tonight with a very heavy heart,” James said on Facebook. “Me and my wife got a call…that my wife’s oldest daughter Hannah Baygents was murdered last night. Please keep my wife in your prayers as we go thru this difficult time. Rest in peace, Hannah Baygents.”
Baygents’ Facebook account, which appears to have been inactive long before her death, contains a few photos of herself but is primarily filled with images of her longtime boyfriend, Thomas, and their young children.
Thomas also frequently shared photos of their children and appears to have a strong appreciation for traditional Southern culture. In 2013, he posted an image of a Confederate flag on his Facebook, stating that he was “proud of where [he’s] from.”
According to the Montgomery County Police Reporter, Baygents had been arrested at least twice in recent years, with two different mugshots appearing on the website. One of those arrests, in 2020, resulted in charges related to expired documents, including her driver’s license.
The hotel where Hannah Baygents was fatally wounded has a less than impressive online reputation.
In 725 reviews, the Travel Inn of Humble, Texas has been rated 2.7 out of 5 stars. Safety concerns were mentioned by 55 reviewers while 171 gave a ‘thumbs down’ to the hotel’s cleanliness.
One reviewer who said she was lodging at the Travel Inn with children claimed that the hotel immediately made her feel unsafe.
“From the moment we arrived, I didn’t feel safe,” Allie Elizabeth wrote last month. “People in the parking lot approached us asking for money, which immediately set me on edge.”
The Justice Report contacted Travel Inn management for comment on Baygents’ death and recent reviews but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Humble, Texas, about 20 miles north of downtown Houston, has a population of around 16,000. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half of Humble’s residents are Hispanic, about 22% are Black, and 19% are non-Hispanic White. Additionally, 24.7% of the population is of mixed descent, nearly eight times the national average.
Houston, the nearby city where officers responded from, is also diverse, with a slightly lower Hispanic population and a marginally higher percentage of White residents compared to Humble.
According to FBI UCR data, the Houston Police Department arrested 2,735 homicide suspects from 2019 to 2023. 55% of the suspects were Black, an over representation in excess of 240%.
Nationwide, verbal altercations between White and Black people can often escalate towards interracial violence.
In November of last year, a 38-year-old Black man was charged with second-degree murder following the fatal shooting of a White delivery driver at an apartment complex in High Point, North Carolina.
The victim’s wife later told ABC 45 News that the alleged shooter taunted her as she attempted to save his life.
“I asked the man, ‘Where did you shoot him? I’m trying to stop the bleeding because I can’t even tell where the bleeding is coming from.’”
The victim’s wife said the suspect replied with chilling indifference: “Your husband’s dead, there’s no saving him.”
In August of 2024, an unarmed White father of two was “senselessly” shot dead in Canton, Michigan. Reports say the alleged suspect was upset over a petty lawn dispute. For the crime, Police arrested a Black sex offender who barricaded himself in his own home before surrendering.
The victim, 35-year-old Nathan Morris—a Ford engineer and secretary of the 6th Congressional District’s Republican Committee—was walking around the neighborhood with his family when he was shot.
In Wellington, Florida, a Black man was arrested for the brutal execution-style murder of his two White neighbors in May of last year, leaving behind four children without a mom and dad. The suspect was a ‘celebrated’ Black airline mechanic who was referred to as a “sweet man” by his lawyer.
An eyewitness claimed that when he was attempting to render aid to the victims, the suspect, 63-year-old Norman Scott came outside and confessed to the crime, saying, “Don’t worry, I shot them both.”
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