Murder-suicide deaths ID’d as local lawyers

Two people who died in a murder-suicide last week inside a Montrose-area apartment were both associates for Houston law firms.

Candace Rechtmann, 29, and Tyler Greenwood, 31, died Jan. 26 from gunshot wounds, according to the Harris County medical examiner’s office. Forensic examiners ruled Rechtmann’s manner of death as homicide, while Greenwood’s was suicide, according to the office.

Representatives for the Houston law firm, Chamberlain Hrdlicka, where the man was listed as an associate on their website, did not comment on his employment but expressed condolences to both families Monday morning.

“We send our sincerest condolences to the Greenwood and Rechtmann families and their loved ones at this incredibly difficult times,” said Katie Jacobson, spokesperson for the office. “Out of respect for the families’ privacy, we do not wish to comment any further.”

Police around 8:20 p.m. Jan. 26 conducted a welfare check in the 1000 block of Van Buren Street after a caller reached out with concerns about a neighbor, Houston police Lt. Ignacio Izaguirre told On Scene reporters.

Officers found Rechtmann and Greenwood dead at the scene, according to the Houston Police Department.

Investigators found a gun near Greenwood’s body and a gun holster in his waistband, officials said. Investigators said they believe the two had a prior relationship that ended in the summer of 2022. They weren’t yet sure why the man was at the apartment.

Rechtmann was listed as an associate at Germer PLLC, where she represented public sector clients on civil rights matters, such as inmate medical care, excessive force and wrongful arrest cases, according to her profile on the firm’s website. She also represented public- and private-sector employers in labor and employment litigation.

Before coming to the firm, she clerked for a federal magistrate judge in the U.S. District for the Southern District of Texas, according to her profile.

Rechtmann’s father declined to comment, saying the family was still in shock over her death.

A LinkedIn page and an announcement about Greenwood’s hiring at Chamberlain Hrdlicka both appeared to have been deleted as of Monday morning.