Houston man-23, accused of killing ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend in San Marcos

SAN MARCOS, TX -- Two people were murdered and the suspected killer was found dead at the bottom of a cliff. Police are calling it a deadly love triangle.

The incident happened in San Marcos, but Eyewitness News has learned two of those involved have ties to the Houston area. Hailey Nicholls, 22, lived in Kingwood. Her ex-boyfriend, who police say killed her, lived in northwest Houston.

We talked to Nicholls' mother, father and older sister. They said Nicholls was senselessly taken from them and don't understand why. Investigators say this may have been a case of a love affair gone terribly wrong.

"I heard the girl ask, 'Why are you here?'" a neighbor said. Their love affair turned deadly early Thursday morning when police say 23-year-old Daniel Brewster Stillwell confronted Nicholls and her 27-year-old boyfriend, Jesse Robledo, in a San Marcos apartment.

According to police, Nicholls was shot in head on the floor. Robledo was also shot in the head; his body was found on the bed.

"The breakup between the ex-boyfriend and girlfriend -- between Stillwell and Nicholls -- was, to my understanding, very recent. It's about the best I can tell you for sure. But yeah, it's going to be a recent breakup issue," San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams said.

Robledo was from San Antonio. His father calmly described how he found out about the killings. "The police, they just sat us down and said to us basically that my son was deceased," he told WOAI in San Antonio.

For hours, police looked for Stillwell. According to police, he called his roommate and said he hurt his girlfriend. Before police could catch him, he drove his car off cliff in an area of Comal County known as Devil's Backbone.

"I've been here 10 years now, this is first time we've had a double murder in that sort of tradition," Williams said.

Nicholls had an identical twin sister. Her mother told me her heart also goes out to the other two families who are grieving right now. She says right now, three families are at a loss.

3 Men dead after shooting in NW Harris County neighborhoods

HARRIS COUNTY – Investigators have determined that three men killed in a shooting Thursday morning in a northwest Harris County neighborhood are the only shooters involved in the incidencrt.

According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, investigators found the bodies in a neighborhood on Briarchase Drive near Torrey Drive after reports of gunfire just before 10 a.m.

The two victims were found in a white Ford Mustang that crashed into the front yard of a home, deputies said. The two men had been armed with pistols and a bag of marijuana was found in the vehicle.

The third shooting victim was found in the parking lot of the Torrey Pines Recreation Center, deputies said. He too was found with next to a pistol. The shooting had many neighbors standing around wondering what is going on.

Jackie Rangel dropped her daughter off to school this morning when she saw the commotion. “I heard like four or five gun shots and then I heard sirens. I came out and see police flying down the street, and that's what it is,” Rangel, a neighbor, said.

Investigators will be looking at surveillance video from the park. “They just said there are two other guys shot in a car back here and they just think it could be drugs,” Julie Johnson, neighborhood resident, said.

Man's body found in northwest Houston ditch

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Houston Police Department is investigating an apparent homicide after a man was found dead in a ditch Sunday in northwest Houston.

The body was discovered in the 6400 block of Gold Street at Creston near Interstate 610 and the Hardy Toll Road. HPD Homicide detectives spent the day at the scene. The body was found just before 9am near some railroad tracks.

Officers have been canvassing the area looking for clues, and they believe this is a murder. The cause of death has not been officially determined yet, but a shooting or stabbing are both under consideration as blood was found at the scene.

Neighbors didn't report hearing any gunshots, but if a passing train could have masked any specific noise. Police are also considering that the man could have been killed at another location and the body dumped, but they don't believe he was here very long.

"Probably last night sometime. Here again, it's not necessarily to say he was shot at this location. He could have been dumped here," Det. Ramon Cervantes said. "As you can see here, it's not necessarily desolate; but the area where we found this individual, you can see where people have dumped things, and there's a portion of this area where it is somewhat desolate."

Investigators say the man's body was found by a family driving by. They first noticed his shoes. "My brother recognized some shoes, and we slowed down and there was a body lying there," Larry Washington said.

"I told them it was a mannequin," Larry's brother, Orish Washington, said. "I didn't believe it was somebody." The grim discovery has cast an eerie feeling on their neighborhood, especially among the family that had a very unexpected start to their Sunday morning.

The body has not been identified, but police said the man was black and in his early 20s. This case remains under investigation. 

Man in wheelchair killed by hit-and-run driver in north Harris County

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Investigators are searching for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man in a wheelchair this morning in north Harris County.

It happened around 3:20am on Aldine Mail Route near Airline. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, a witness saw a red extended-cab Ford pickup truck strike the victim in the southbound lanes of Airline.

The driver then reportedly made a U-turn and fled north. Deputies said the victim was an older Latino man who was in the inside southbound lane in his wheelchair when he was fatally struck. He died at the scene.

"He was in the lane of traffic," HCSO Dep. Paul Begley said. "Unknown if he was trying to cross, or just in the lane."

Investigators collected vehicle parts from the scene of the crash to possibly help them locate the suspect vehicle.

Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for updates. Reporter Sonia Azad is at the scene and will have live reports from the scene 8-10am.

Man shoots, kills would-be robber after returning Redbox movie in north Houston

HOUSTON -- A man was attacked on Tuesday evening in north Houston after stopping to return a movie at the Redbox outside of McDonald's.

According to investigators, he got back in his car and was approached by at least two suspects who attempted to steal his car. He was forced out of the vehicle and pushed down.

The victim had a gun on him and he fired at the suspects. He killed one of the robbers and wounded one of the other suspects who got away. Police did not release any other information regarding the case.

“It is kind of odd being right out in the open. I guess people and the desperate need of people nowadays,” said Dedrick Moore. “They give up hope and try to go any other way to get their means."

Moore lives in the area and visits the McDonald's often, but not without caution. "I am always checking my area,” Moore said. “Looking around knowing what is going on around me."

The victim did not want to appear on camera, but he said he was doing OK.

Suspect's family 'shocked and destroyed' by crime at Spring HS

SPRING, Texas -- Luis Alonso Alfaro, 17, was charged with killing a classmate Wednesday at Spring High School by stabbing him to death.

Harris County Sheriff’s deputies said the teen confessed to the crime. He said nothing as reporters tossed out questions to him while deputies walked him to a waiting car at the Criminal Investigations Bureau.

His stepfather had a lot to say from his home in Spring, even though he didn't want to be identified. First and foremost, he had a message for the victim's family.

“I'll probably go meet them and say my prayers and share my thoughts and say I’m sorry for whatever altercation happened,” said Alfaro’s stepfather.

All four victims had been stabbed. Three were treated and released from area hospitals. The stepfather did not know where the teen got the knife used in the attack. “He didn't have one at the house. We checked his room, we checked everything,” said Alfaro’s stepfather.

The family said Luis worked part-time at a fast food restaurant, went to school, came home and didn't have any issues. They were stunned. His mother was reportedly “devastated and destroyed.”

Alfaro’s stepfather was sensitive to critics who may point the finger at the parents. “It's not our fault. It's not parenting,” said Alfaro’s stepfather. “You can't monitor your kids 24-7.” 

He said Luis will likely pay the price for the crime. The stepfather did not believe the brawl was gang-related. “I don’t believe that,” said Alfaro’s stepfather.

Witnesses- Denny's customer killed by robbers was trying to protect children

HOUSTON – A customer was fatally shot and an employee was injured during a robbery at a Denny’s restaurant in west Houston. It happened at the Denny’s along Interstate 10 at Washington Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Monday, according to officers with the Houston Police Department.

Police said three men wearing masks and bandanas went into the restaurant and ordered all customers and employees to the ground. A family member of one of the victims said the men took purses and cell phones, and even pointed their guns at small children. The men also stole money from the customers and the cash register.

Witnesses said the robbers became angry and started shooting before they left the scene. The bullets struck a customer and an employee who was trying to escape out the front door. The robbers escaped in a minivan, believed to be stolen.

Police spent several hours looking over the scene and the evidence, which included bullet holes in some of the cars parked outside. Police said the men wore masks, but the crime and the getaway vehicle may have been captured on video by surveillance cameras.

If they are putting a gun to a small kid’s head, they need to be stopped," said Drue Placette. Denny’s reopened a few hours after the deadly robbery. Regulars stopped by to check on the employees they’ve come to know.

"You never think it’s going to happen to somebody you know, or some place that you go, and it’s really sad when it does," said Peggy McMillan, a regular. "It’s horrible. We just want to check and make sure everybody is OK. I know somebody didn’t make it and we feel really bad about it."