Father ‘killed lesbian daughter’s girlfriend and her mother’

A Texas man who was upset at his daughter’s lesbian relationship killed her girlfriend and the girl’s mother, police say.

Jose Alfonso Aviles, 45, is accused of shooting Norma Hurtado, 24, and her mother Maria Hurtado, 57, at their Austin home on Monday.

His 18-year-old daughter, who was in a relationship with Norma, has not been named.

The Austin American Statesman said the relationship was the source of a feud between the two families.

Police had been called to disturbances in the past and a friend of Norma’s said Mr Aviles had threatened to kill her before.

Mr Aviles was arrested on Tuesday morning and has been charged with capital murder. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to charge him with a hate crime.

Police say he shot the two women after knocking on the door of their apartment. Witnesses said he then fled the scene in a green SUV. Police are seeking a second man seen with him.

Mr Aviles’ daughter was in the house at the time and found the women after they were shot.

Austin police Lt Gena Curtis told reporters that the daughter’s “family was quite upset over this relationship”.

She added: “We do know that the father had threatened harm toward Norma previously.

“This had been an ongoing dispute between these families and it turned tragic, into a horrific act of violence with the death of two individuals.”