Genesse Moreno: Lakewood Church shooter allegedly kept special needs son on feeding tube for disability checks

Genesse Moreno was shot dead by cops after she walked into Joel Osteen's Houston church and opened fire
PUBLISHED FEB 15, 2024
Genesse Ivonne Moreno was shot dead by police after she opened fire inside a church (Fort Bend County)
Genesse Ivonne Moreno was shot dead by police after she opened fire inside a church (Fort Bend County)

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services. 

HOUSTON, TEXAS: Disturbing details have emerged against Genesse Moreno, the Lakewood Church shooter, about the alleged abuse inflicted upon her 7-year-old son, Sam, for financial gain.

The accusations include the unnecessary use of a feeding tube solely to secure government disability checks, as disclosed by the boy's grandmother and rabbi, Walli Carranza.

Moreno met a tragic end after being shot dead by police during a planned attack at Pastor Joel Osteen's Houston church. Clad in a trench coat and armed with a rifle, the suspect had her special needs son, Sam, by her side during the incident.

Enrique Carranza and his son Sam smile in a photo (Facebook)
Enrique Carranza and his son Sam smile in a photo (Facebook)

Genesse Moreno kept son in 'infant-like state' for social security money

Sam's grandmother Carranza, currently at his bedside in the ICU after he was shot in the head during the altercation, has made startling allegations about the abuse the child endured. "A feeding tube was placed when he choked one time, and then she was supposed to get it taken out two weeks later. It was left in for years," she said. 

"As long as he was getting supplemental feedings like this, she was getting money from Social Security disability. We believe for financial reasons, she was keeping him in this infant-like state," as per Daily Mail.

Sam faced unmet healthcare needs from birth

Rabbi emphasized that Sam, born prematurely at 23 weeks, weighing less than a pound, faced significant challenges from birth. Surviving against the odds, he required intensive therapy for years, but the grandmother asserted that the child did not receive proper care for the sequelae of preterm birth, leading to asthma and speech impediments.

Despite efforts by Rabbi and her son, Enrique Aleberto Carranza, to seek intervention from Child Protective Services (CPS), the family alleges that their pleas were ignored. Moreno, known to CPS as homeschooling "the boy," lived with her son on a property belonging to the suspects' mother.

"This is what we asked Child Protective Services to enforce and they refused. And this is what custody was about, getting him into therapy. I understand she was allowed to homeschool a severely challenged kid," the concerned grandmother said.

Divorce records highlighted a contentious split between Moreno and the boy's father, a registered sex offender, resulting in her winning custody of the severely special-needs child. Sam remains in critical condition, showing signs of improvement, but potential memory loss looms if he survives the tragic incident. "My prayer is that Sam doesn't remember what had to be a time of terror for him," she added of the shooting. "He doesn't need to remember all that went before."

MORE STORIES

Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said that the conditions during Tyler Robinson's arrest were relaxed and comfortable
Sep 18, 2025
DeCarlos Brown Jr, who is accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska, confessed the reason for the attack in a phone call from jail to his sister
Sep 11, 2025
The former Centerville Mayor is facing three class A felony murder charges, each carrying a minimum sentence of death or life imprisonment
Jun 1, 2024
In a recent interview, Oregon murder suspect Jesse Lee Calhoun's ex-girlfriend, Krista Sinor, recalled his fits of rage
May 19, 2024
Michael Francis described John-Paul Miller as someone who tried to buy love and expected something in return for his favors
May 19, 2024
Ryan Babcock has been indicted on charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment, and vandalism
May 19, 2024
A student at Kennesaw State University in Georgia was fatally shot by an armed intruder on May 18
May 19, 2024
Jaylin Brazier admitted he panicked and disposed of Zion Foster's body in a dumpster after she died suddenly while they were smoking marijuana
May 19, 2024
Devin Montgomery drew a firearm and discharged it several times at officers who were trying to engage him on May 16 at an apartment complex
May 19, 2024