On July 8, 2006, police received an anonymous tip via Crimestoppers regarding the murders of Rowell, Koloroutis, Precella, and Sanchez. The male caller told police that he had been in rehab with Paolilla who had admitted to being a participant in the crime . Police tracked Paolilla down in San Antonio and arrested her on July 19, 2006. (Paolilla's husband was also arrested as police found 70 vials of heroin in the couple's room).
The murders were committed with the assistance of her boyfriend , Christopher Snider and the case was named as Clear Lake murders. Christine Paolilla was sentenced to life with parole eligibility in 2046. By the time Paolilla was ready to enter high school, her mother had received the help she needed and was able to have custody of Christine and her brother again. The family moved to Clear Lake City, Texas and Paolilla attended Clear Lake High School. Rott said he and his wife were spending about $10,000 on drugs. The money being used was part of an inheritance Paolilla received after her father died in a construction accident when she was 4, Rott said.
Despite it all, Christine appeared to cling to the relationship. But on the afternoon of July 18, 2003, Christine’s life changed forever. Four youths were found shot multiple times at point blank range in a home in the placid Clear Lake neighborhood.
Rott testified that appellant admitted to beating Koloroutis with her gun until she was dead. Two eyewitnesses placed appellant at the scene of the crime. Michelle and Craig Lackner lived next door to Tiffany Rowell. The Lackners testified that on the day of the offense, they both observed a young man and woman casually walk down the street and approach Rowell's house. In court, the Lackners identified appellant as the girl they had witnessed. They denied seeing her with a gun, but they each said that she was carrying a purse.
Using a six-person photo spread, the Lackners also identified Snider as the accompanying male. Dr. Glass also described the drug treatment appellant received following her arrest. He said that six milligrams of morphine was a significant dosage normally seekers crime reserved for intense pain, similar to the type of pain experienced by an adult male during a heart attack.
In July 2005, the second anniversary of the murders, Paolilla saw a newscast on television about the still unsolved case. She became upset after seeing sketches of the suspects given by neighbors and confessed to Rott that she and Snider had committed the murders. By November 2005, Paolilla and Rott were living in a motel room in San Antonio. For the next eight months, the couple holed up in the room, shooting heroin and cocaine. At an early age Christine Paolilla was forced to go through several hardships. After her father was killed in a construction accident, her mother began abusing drugs and neglecting Christine and her brother.