Big Tips Texas star Amber Rosales avoids murder conviction, pleads guilty to manslaughter in husband’s shooting

A former star of the MTV reality series Big Tips Texas has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Amber Rosales entered the guilty plea on August 16 as part of a deal to avoid a murder charge in the 2022 shooting death of her husband, 31-year-old Jeffrey McBride.

32-year-old Rosales was facing 5 to 99 years or life in prison if convicted of the murder charge. As a result of the plea deal, Rosales was sentenced to 5 years in state prison with 815 days (just under 15 months) credit for time served.

“There are things we could put on as the defense team that we believe are strong pieces of evidence and would be powerful to a jury, but there’s always some risk [with a trial],” Rosales’ attorney Caroline Simone said. “It’s one of those offers that’s just too good to refuse with the type of risk, especially on a murder charge.”

Jeffrey McBride’s sister, Katy McBride, issued a statement after Rosales pleaded guilty to the lesser charge.

“A prison sentence will never bring him back to those who love him. His absence brought heartbreak that will never heal,” Katy wrote. “We were robbed of a brother, son, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend because of the reckless behavior of one individual.”

“We knew that a manslaughter conviction would ensure that Miss Rosales would serve some time, making her a convicted felon of a violent charge,” Katy continued. “We’re thankful for the hard work of the Collin County [DA’s] Office and their ability to ensure a conviction here. We are especially grateful to the Denton Police Department for the extensive investigation that led to this conviction.”

Amber Rosales Probation Violation In Florida

At the time Amber Rosales was arrested for murder, she was on probation stemming from multiple charges in Bay County, Florida.

In July of 2021, Rosales was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and false report of sexual battery against a law enforcement officer.

Two officers responding to a call for service transported an intoxicated Rosales back to her home. Rosales later claimed one of the officers raped her while she was in the front seat of the police vehicle.

Another officer followed up by investigating Rosales’ claims. “I reviewed the Deputies body cameras and the in car camera form the patrol vehicle and these claims were false,” the officer stated. “No physical contact was observed between the deputies and defendant.”

Rosales was placed on two years probation.

An affidavit for violation of probation was filed in Florida soon after Rosales was arrested for murder in Texas. The probation violation is still pending.

Amber Rosales murder arrest details

According to a 2022 Denton Police Department press release, Amber was charged with murder after shooting her husband, 31-year-old Jeffrey McBride, on April 25. From the press release:

Officers responded to a shooting in the 1100 block of E. Sherman Drive at 9:58 p.m. on April 25. The initial 911 caller told dispatchers that her husband had just been shot, while another caller reported a pickup truck had crashed in the yard of a residence. Arriving officers located the crashed truck, which was occupied by an unconscious male in the driver’s seat and a female in the passenger seat.

Medics transported the male victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen, to a local hospital where he later died. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 31-year-old Jeffrey McBride.

Amber told officers on the scene that she and her husband had stopped the truck nearby to talk to a man. She said the man “shot at the victim from the passenger side door and tossed the gun into the truck before running away,” the release states. According to Amber’s account, Jeffrey crashed the truck in a nearby yard after being shot.

Over the course of the investigation, detectives executed search warrants, interviewed witnesses and family members, and conducted thorough reviews of surveillance videos. Evidence obtained in the investigation showed that Rosales’s statements were inconsistent on multiple occasions. Evidence led investigators to believe Rosales was the only other person present when the victim was shot.

Detectives applied for a Murder arrest warrant for Rosales, which was granted by a local judge. On Wednesday morning, Rosales was arrested at her residence in Sanger. She is currently in the City of Denton Jail, with bail set at $500,000.

According to Denton County marriage records, Amber and Jeffrey were married on April 21, just four days before the shooting.

Jeffrey McBride homicide conviction

The victim, Jeffrey McBride, was convicted of criminal negligence homicide in 2017 after he shot and killed a homeless man in Denton. He was initially charged with murder, but Jeffrey’s attorney argued that the shooting was self defense.

From Denton Record-Chronicle:

McBride said during the trial he went behind a building in the 800 block of West University Drive to urinate when he encountered Gonzales.

A witness said Gonzales approached McBride and punched him multiple times in the face. McBride testified he was pinned to his truck when he grabbed his gun and fired two shots toward Gonzales in fear for his life.

Amber Rosales criminal history

When Amber appeared on Big Tips Texas, she already had an arrest record with multiple entries. Her troubles with the law have continued since that time, including numerous DWI and public intoxication charges.

Amber was convicted of aggravated assault in August of 2017 and sentenced to six years. It’s unclear how much time Amber served, but she had no arrests from the time of her sentencing up until March of this year.

Here is a timeline of Amber’s Texas arrests and court cases since 2010:

04/28/2010 Theft (between $50-$500)
07/15/2012 Public Intoxication
07/27/2013 Public Intoxication
08/02/2013 Driving While Intoxicated
05/01/2015 Driving While Intoxicated
09/15/2015 Driving While Intoxicated
02/05/2016 Driving While Intoxicated

08/25/2016 Aggravated Assault With A Deadly Weapon
11/18/2016 Driving While Intoxicated
01/24/2017 Criminal Mischief
02/10/2017 Driving While Intoxicated
08/05/2017 Driving While Intoxicated
03/31/2022 Public Intoxication

Here is the Big Tips Texas promotional intro clip for Amber “Sexy Kitty” Rosales in which she talks about waking up in jail:

Here is the Big Tips Texas preview trailer, in which Amber makes numerous appearances. The clip includes her viral quote: “Butta my a** and call me a biscuit.”

Big Tips Texas premiered October 9, 2013 and ran for 14 episodes. The reality series was not renewed by MTV after the first season.

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com