Houston mother demands Abbott campaign remove ad using slain daughter's photo

Who's involved

• Wendy Alvarez · Mother of Arlene Alvarez^[1]
• Arlene Alvarez · 9-year-old fatally shot in 2022^[1]
• April Aguirre · Arlene's aunt and victims' advocate appearing in the ad^[1]
• Tony Earls Jr. · Convicted of manslaughter in Arlene's death^[1]
• Greg Abbott · Governor of Texas^[1]
• Gina Hinojosa · Democratic candidate for governor^[2]

The facts

1. Arlene Alvarez, age 9, was fatally shot while riding in the back seat of her family's pickup truck in Houston on Valentine's Day in 2022. [1]^[1]
2. Tony Earls Jr. opened fire on the vehicle after mistakenly believing a man who had robbed him at gunpoint had gotten inside. Arlene was struck in the head and died from her injuries. [1]^[1]
3. In September 2025, a Harris County judge found Earls guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, the maximum punishment for the offense. [1]^[1]
4. The campaign ad, titled 'Protect Texans, Vote Greg Abbott,' was uploaded to Abbott's YouTube channel on Oct. 19, 2026 and promoted on his campaign website on Oct. 21, 2026. [1, 2]^[1,2]
5. The ad features Arlene's aunt, April Aguirre, holding up a photo of Arlene while discussing her death and calling on voters to support Abbott. [1]^[1]
6. Wendy Alvarez said Monday, Oct. 26, 2026 in a Facebook post that she did not agree to have her daughter's photo used to promote the governor's reelection. [1]^[1]
7. Alvarez said she had previously met Abbott, taken a photo with him, and sought his support for 'Arlene's Law,' proposed legislation aimed at strengthening penalties following her daughter's death. [1]^[1]
8. April Aguirre said the backlash over the ad has escalated into death threats against her, Alvarez and other family members, and that the family forwarded threatening messages to police. [1]^[1]
9. Abbott appointed Aguirre to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct in January 2025 and reappointed her in June 2026. [2]^[2]

Who said what

• Wendy Alvarez She did not agree to make her daughter part of anyone's political campaign and did not agree to use her tragedy to influence votes; her fight was never about Republicans or Democrats or about immigration.^[1]
• Abbott campaign spokesperson Aguirre brought the photograph herself and gave the campaign permission to use it; Aguirre participated voluntarily and was not compensated; the campaign was unaware of any need for Alvarez's separate permission and had not received any requests to remove the ad.^[1]
• April Aguirre She can handle the backlash, but Wendy has gone through so much already; the family had never experienced harassment on this scale despite years of public advocacy.^[1]
• Abbott campaign Liberal policies were to blame for Arlene's death.^[1]
• April Aguirre in the ad She trusts Governor Abbott because 'he's fought to keep violent criminals locked up' and urged viewers to vote for him.^[2]
• April Aguirre in the ad Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa supports 'dangerous bail policies that allow criminal illegal immigrants and murderers back on our streets' and sides with the movement to defund police.^[2]
• Wendy Alvarez The renewed scrutiny and political arguments surrounding her daughter's death have left her emotionally exhausted, and the criticism has taken a toll on her family nearly five years after Arlene was killed.^[2]