Tragic Shooting Incident at Rice University: Apparent Murder-Suicide Claims Student’s Life

True Crime Lounge
North Texas True Crime
4 min readAug 30, 2024

--

In a tragic event that has shaken the Rice University community, Andrea Rodriguez Avila, a promising junior, was fatally shot in what authorities have described as an apparent murder-suicide. The incident took place on Monday afternoon in her dorm room at Jones College, a residential hall on the campus of Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Tragic Shooting Incident at Rice University: Apparent Murder-Suicide Claims Student’s Life

Incident Overview

Andrea Rodriguez Avila, a 21-year-old political science major focusing on pre-law, was discovered deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. The assailant, identified as 22-year-old Habeneyom Belai, was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, indicating a murder-suicide scenario. The Rice University Police conducted a welfare check on Andrea after she missed a class, which was unusual for the diligent student, leading to the tragic discovery.

Andrea Rodriguez Avila

Andrea Rodriguez Avila

Early Life and Education: Andrea Rodriguez Avila was born in Honduras and spent part of her childhood in Spain, which contributed to her multicultural perspective. She later moved to the United States, settling…

--

--