A former member of the United States Marine Corps has been charged with the senseless slaying of 11-year-old Josue Flores.
A former member of the United States Marine Corps has been charged with the senseless slaying of an 11-year-old Texas boy.
Police say 27-year-old Andre Timothy Jackson Jr. fatally stabbed Josue Flores just blocks from the boy's Houston home on May 17.
Jackson is accused of stabbing the sixth grader as he walked home from school.
Several witnesses told investigators they heard screaming and saw Josue struggling with a man. The boy collapsed on the grass near the sidewalk and the man ran off, the Associated Press reports.
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The boy was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The ensuing investigation saw a 31-year-old man arrested for the murder before being cleared and released. Community members also helped amass a $45,000 reward for the arrest of a suspect in the crime.
Authorities are still considering how the reward should be dispursed.
Jackson was arrested at a Salvation Army sheltr after police released surveillance footage taken at the time of the murder that showed a man fitting the former Marine's description running past the cameras.
"We cannot bring him back, but I hope today's announcement can perhaps bring a little bit of comfort to those who love him," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a news conference Saturday.
"Our minds search for answers that just aren't there. What we do know is it was senseless, it was brutal, it was cold-blooded. And someone needs to pay the price for it and justice needs to be rendered."
Police have thus far found no motive for the murder and say they don't believe there is any connection between Jackson and the boy.
Houston investigators made the arrest Friday. Jackson was booked on $100,000 bond.
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