Two suspects are in custody: Dante Wayne Talbert and Xavier Bernard Jones, both 17. Prosecutors say the teens killed 36-year-old Christopher McGrew last Tuesday during a robbery at a Subway in southeast Houston.
We learned during a press conference Monday that Jones, the alleged shooter, actually lived down the street from the victim. Houston police said he committed the murder on his birthday with the help of Talbert, who is now linked to several aggravated robberies at area bus stops.
Victim Christopher McGrew's family was there as police revealed new details on the case Monday.
According to investigators, Jones and Talbert went into the Subway on MLK and the South Loop twice before robbing the restaurant -- once to ask for a cup of water. When the suspects walked outside second time, they reportedly approached McGrew, who was standing with a Subway employee and smoking a cigarette. Police said the two suspects asked to buy a cigarette, but then they returned a third time.
As Talbert allegedly robbed employees, there was a scuffle between Jones and McGrew.
Employees heard one shot, then ran to the back and locked themselves in freezer. Then, they heard another shot.
Talbert confessed to his role in the crime and told police it was Jones who pulled trigger.
"You all could have had wives, kids, a career in college. But one night, over less than $100, you chose to give all of that up," Terry Johnson, the victim's relative, said Monday.
"It's very hard that they have to live with that for the rest of their lives," the victim's cousin Angela Johnson said. "And my cousin isn't here, but being able to forgive someone, the forgiveness is not for them. It's for us so that we can move on."
Both teens are charged with capital murder
McGrew's family has set up memorial fund to help with funeral expenses. A community member tells us he will donate a large sum to the family to help with those expenses. That funeral will be held Saturday.
Authorities are looking for other armed robbery victims who may have been targeted by Talbert at area bus stops. If you have any information that could help police, give them a call.
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