Overview

• Day two is set to continue Thursday morning, with Arlene Álvarez’s father expected to return to the stand after describing the moments surrounding his daughter’s shooting.
• Prosecutors say Earls fired 10 rounds after an ATM robbery, striking the Alvarez family’s passing pickup and killing the 9-year-old who could not hear her father’s warning because she wore headphones.
• In court, the state argued an expert concluded Earls saw the robber run past the truck and had no justification to shoot, while the defense said he reasonably believed the truck was tied to the robbery and criticized what it called incomplete police work.
• Jury selection concluded Monday and opening statements began Wednesday, advancing a case that evolved from an initial no-bill to a 2024 murder indictment following an FBI firearms review, then a July 2025 manslaughter indictment after the murder charge was dropped.
• The suspected robber has not been identified or arrested, and Earls has remained in the Harris County Jail since his May 2024 arrest on the later indictment.