HOUSTON – Now a follow-up to a story we brought you Saturday night.
An El Campo man has been charged with murder after a deadly home invasion in Angleton.
Police say James Harris, Jr. confessed to stabbing Alton and Darla Wilcox at their home and stealing the couple’s car.
Wilcox died from his injuries. His widow was listed in critical but stable condition as of Sunday night.
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The Victims Knew the Suspect
The couple were great-grandparents, had been married for years, and what’s even more bizarre…..it happened in broad daylight in a busy neighborhood.
Fortunately police have caught the suspect…..turns out he’s a 52-year old man that did lawn work for the couple.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, people in Angleton were out enjoying the weather, going for walks, riding bikes…..
Neighbors tell me 85-year old Alton Wilcox and his wife 69-year old Darla normally go for their daily walk early in the morning, so this afternoon, they were inside their home in the 800 block of Tinsley.
Angleton Police say around 1pm there was a knock at their door, when they went to answer it, 52-year old James Harris Jr., barged in and stabbed the couple.
“That obviously adds to the strangeness of the occurrence, in the middle of the day, on a beautiful day,” said Patti Worfe of the Angleton Police Department/City of Angleton.
Harris fled in Darla’s car which was later found on the south end of town.
Meanwhile, Darla was able to call 911.
When police and EMS arrived, the couple was life-flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital where Lloyd passed away, Darla had surgery and is in critical condition.
As for the suspect, 52-year old James Harris Jr. of El Campo confessed to the double stabbing just hours after the incident.
Angleton police say he did lawn work for the victims and went to their home this afternoon to borrow money and steal their car.
Longtime residents of the neighborhood are in shock.
“We’ve never had problems, never had any problems as far as crime, my mother in law lives 2 houses down and she’s all upset now because she’s on her own and this scares her now,” said neighbor Rex.
“Nobody here expects things like this to happen in your home, down the street,” said neighbor John Cholick.
“It’s such a tragedy for any community but obviously we feel like here we just don’t have these things happen, kind of things that makes you sit back and question what’s going on,” said Worfe.
The crime comes just 2 days after another similar tragedy.
On Thursday night, HPD says a man forced his way into Bill and Marie Gage’s home in southwest Houston and severely beat the 84-year old man and his 82-year old wife.
“These were retirees in their golden years who were in their own home, who were just attacked, I wouldn’t even call it a person, it was an animal,” said Sgt. C.E. Elliott of HPD Homicide.
Marie died from her injuries, police say Bill is expected to recover.
“We believe this was not a random act, that the suspect targeted them for her jewelry,” said Sgt. Elliott.
HPD hopes stolen jewelry including a nearly 4 carat diamond wedding ring, a sapphire and blue topaz will lead them to a suspect.
If you have any information on that case, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
And in Angleton, police will formally charge James Harris Jr. with murder sometime tonight.