Three recent Brookshire murders remain unsolved

HOUSTON The city of Brookshire encompasses about 4 square miles, so by definition, it's a small town, and a lot of people know each other.

But with three murders in four weeks, residents there are on edge, putting the police department under pressure.

At the Willow Springs apartment complex, kids roam freely but it's also the scene of the town's third murder in a month.

"Everybody's watching their back," said Brookshire resident Rochelle Lakes. "It's definitely causing an uproar."

Lakes lives next door the town's latest victim, Mary Solomon. On Sunday, the 63-year-old was found stabbed to death in her apartment.

There was no forced entry, leading investigators to believe she might have known her murderer.

"Could somebody you know do this to you?" Lakes said. "Apparently, if there's no forced entry. That's what everybody's thinking."

On March 11, there also was no forced entry when Stan Jackson and Janella Edwards were shot to death in their home. Their two God-daughters were unharmed in the back bedroom and didn't make the discovery until the following morning.

Now, the town's talking, and police are pulling in resources.

"For a small town, there's too much happening," said concerned resident Donna Small.

"It's very unusual," said Brookshire Police Department Chief Joseph Prejean.

The back-to-back murders have the department asking outside resources to aid their investigation.

"The Texas Rangers were involved in the double homicide," Prejean said. "They're also involved in this homicide that took place on Sunday."

And as investigators track down leads come in, citizens in the town of about 4,000 are changing their routines.

"I'm not really leaving out too much at night," Lakes said. "I don't feel safe."

On Tuesday, police said they have a person of interest in Solomon's murder and are trying to track down that person for an interview.

In the meantime, they continue to track down more leads in last month's double murder.