A 25-year-old man has been arrested near Houston in the fatal shooting of his aunt and her mother and the sexual assault
HOUSTON—A
25-year-old man has been arrested near Houston in the fatal shooting of his aunt
and her mother and the sexual assault of his aunt's 12-year-old daughter, who
is his cousin, authorities said Thursday.
Deputies were
called late Wednesday after a 66-year-old woman was found dead in the parking
lot of an abandoned bank on the outskirts of Houston, Harris County Sheriff’s
Sgt. Ben Beall said.
At around 3 a.m.
Thursday, the girl called from a home about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the
abandoned bank and said her cousin had sexually assaulted her and had fallen
asleep, Mr. Beall said.
When deputies who
had investigated the body found outside the bank pulled up to the home, they
recognized a pickup truck that was caught on video leaving that shooting scene,
Mr. Beall said.
As they prepared
to enter the home, the cousin came outside with a gun and a knife and
surrendered, he said.
“He was armed when
he came out of the house, so we have what we believe is the murder weapon,” Mr.
Beall said.
Deputies found the
girl's 42-year-old mother dead in a bedroom in the home, Mr. Beall said. She had
been shot. The girl was taken to a hospital.
Mr. Beall said
detectives were questioning the man and that authorities expect to seek capital
murder and sexual assault charges against him.
He said he didn't
know if the girl witnessed either shooting or if the sexual assault happened
before or after the women were killed.
Deputies had been
called to the home before, including for criminal trespassing by the man, Mr.
Beall said.
“We understand he
has some drug issues and is not welcome over here at the house,” Mr. Beall
said. “So how he came to be over at the house ... we don't know at this point.”
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