A late-night meetup arranged through a dating app ended in a shooting that left a 57-year-old woman dead and her husband critically wounded in Northwest Dallas early Jan. 2, police said. Officers arrested a 26-year-old man nearby and booked him on a murder charge.
Investigators said the three met after chatting on a social platform and went to the couple’s home in the 11800 block of High Meadow Drive. The gathering turned violent around 5:20 a.m., according to police. The woman died at the scene; her husband was rushed to a hospital. The suspect, identified by police as Noah Trueba, told detectives he fired after the couple tried to sexually assault him. Detectives say the case remains open as they review forensic evidence, statements and digital records to determine whether the self-defense claim aligns with what happened inside the house.
Officers were dispatched before dawn after a 911 call reporting a person shot. When police entered the home, they found the woman unresponsive on the floor with gunshot wounds. Dallas Fire-Rescue pronounced her dead minutes later. The wounded man had fled to a neighbor’s door seeking help and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, authorities said. Patrol units set a perimeter while investigators canvassed the block for witnesses and cameras. Within an hour, officers located a man matching the suspect’s description hiding near the westbound service road of Interstate 635, behind an electrical box. Police recovered a handgun along a path between the house and where the suspect was found, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit.
Detectives identified the woman as Guadalupe Gonzalez, 57. Her husband, Miguel Hernandez, remained hospitalized as of midweek, police said. Trueba, 26, was taken to a hospital complaining of pain before being interviewed by detectives. In the interview, he said Gonzalez had contacted him through Facebook Dating and picked him up near his home in Garland. He told investigators that he, Gonzalez and Hernandez drank alcohol at the couple’s home and that he smoked marijuana while others used methamphetamine. Trueba said an argument erupted when he refused to perform a sex act, claiming Gonzalez struck him with a pistol before the shooting. Police have not publicly confirmed whether injuries consistent with that account were documented by medical staff.
Authorities said they are working to map the sequence of gunfire inside the residence, including who fired first and from where. Crime-scene analysts photographed rooms, collected shell casings and swabbed surfaces for DNA. Detectives also seized phones for warrants seeking messages tied to planning the meetup, and they requested nearby surveillance and doorbell footage. Police have not announced additional suspects and said there is no evidence of a forced entry or a broader threat to the neighborhood. The home sits on a quiet residential street a few blocks south of I-635, where neighbors told officers they awoke to sirens before sunrise.
The case touches several recurring trends seen in big-city investigations: firearms introduced in private meetups arranged online, drugs or alcohol mixing with late-night gatherings, and conflicting accounts of consent or coercion. Dallas police have responded to previous incidents stemming from dating-app encounters, though most do not end in lethal violence. Court records will determine how prosecutors evaluate Trueba’s self-defense claim under Texas law, which permits deadly force in limited circumstances, including to prevent certain violent felonies, if the facts support it. For now, officials emphasize that the investigation is in its early phase and that final charging decisions may change as evidence is tested.
After his arrest, Trueba was booked on a murder count in the death of Gonzalez. Police said additional charges could follow pending the husband’s medical outcome and lab results. It was not immediately clear whether bail had been set or whether Trueba had an attorney. An autopsy for Gonzalez will be performed by the Dallas County medical examiner to determine the number of wounds and range of fire. Detectives plan to submit a case to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office once they complete interviews and receive lab analyses. Any preliminary hearing dates would be posted later on the county docket, officials said.
By Wednesday, a small memorial of candles and flowers appeared near the home’s front walk. A neighbor who asked to be identified by her first name, Rosa, said she saw police vehicles lining the block before dawn on Jan. 2. “It was still dark and there were flashing lights everywhere,” she said. Another neighbor described hearing raised voices and then several sharp pops before quiet returned. The couple, residents said, had lived on the street for years and were friendly with nearby families. The house remained taped off for much of the day as crime-scene trucks came and went.
As of Thursday, police said the homicide unit was still interviewing witnesses and waiting on key forensic reports. The husband’s condition was listed as critical but stable, according to officials. The next public update is expected after detectives receive lab results and finish reviewing digital evidence tied to the meetup and the time leading up to the shooting.
Author note: Last updated January 8, 2026.