A father has been charged with fatally taking pictures his grownup son with Down syndrome at a house in East Texas after claiming he had mistaken him for an intruder after which later burning his physique in what authorities on Thursday described as a “bizarre crime.”
Michael C. Howard, 68, who’s an legal professional in Houston, informed investigators he was at a house he owns in Sabine County on Sunday night when he unintentionally killed his 20-year-old son, Mark Randall Howard, with a shotgun, Sabine County Sheriff’s Workplace Deputy J.P. MacDonough mentioned at a information convention.
Howard didn’t name the sheriff’s workplace till Monday afternoon, about 17 hours after he had used a tractor backhoe to take his son’s physique about 2 miles away to a distant space on his greater than 2,500-acre property and positioned the physique on a wooden trash pile after which “cremated” him, MacDonough mentioned.
Howard and his son had arrived on the residence in Sabine County — situated about 170 miles northeast of Houston — both Thursday or Friday, authorities mentioned.
Deputies discovered physique elements and bones within the trash pile and despatched them to the health worker’s workplace in Jefferson County.
Howard informed investigators that the entire thing was a “horrible accident.” MacDonough mentioned Howard informed investigators that he “cremated his son in accordance with what he felt his son would have wanted.”
“It is a bizarre crime anywhere you are just because of the nature of the event,” MacDonough mentioned. “Mr. Howard committed this act and in the furtherance of that, burned the body and cleaned the crime scene, which as an investigator, I would take as indicative of nefarious purposes or for nefarious purposes.”
Howard’s son had been recognized with Down syndrome however was excessive functioning and did have a job, MacDonough mentioned.
Two days earlier than the taking pictures, authorities responded to a name Howard made during which he had reported the theft of some property, together with a big mower and a trailer. MacDonough declined to say if the thefts might need performed a task in Howard pondering his son was an intruder.
Howard remained jailed in Sabine County on bonds totaling $20 million after being charged with homicide and tampering with proof. Authorities mentioned further fees could possibly be filed.
It was not instantly recognized if Howard had an legal professional to talk on his behalf.
