Arrest made more than 2 months after A/C repairman shot to death in SW Harris Co.
Elijah Thornton was identified as the suspect in Wagih Aly's killing on May 12.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- An 18-year-old man is in custody, charged with murder in the killing of an air conditioning repairman while he was on the job.
Harris County Criminal Warrants Investigators took Elijah Jacob Thornton into custody without incident, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said on Thursday.
The video above is from a May 13, 2022, report.
Thornton's arrest is in connection with 51-year-old Wagih Aly's murder in the 3900 block of Summit Valley Drive, which is near Highway 6 and the Westpark Tollway, on May 12. Gonzalez did not immediately disclose how investigators tied Thornton to the incident or the victim.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, Aly was doing work at a home when he was confronted by a man, who then shot him.
The gunman then ran off down the neighborhood and was later confronted by responding deputies a block from where Aly was shot.
"The man fled the scene to a residence about a block away from where he entered a vehicle that was unlocked," said Greg Pinkins of the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Division. "That's where deputies found him, confronted him. He took off on foot. Deputies lost him."
In the wake of the crime, deputies released images showing a person who may have killed Aly.
A motive was not immediately disclosed.
Meantime, a GoFundMe dedicated to Aly's family after his death is nearing $160,000 raised, just about $15,000 short of its goal.
The page describes Aly as a "humble, valuable, and very loved member" of the Muslim community. Aly left behind a family that includes a child with special needs, the site adds.
