More grieving families accuse Rosenberg headstone-maker of taking thousands after ABC13 report

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- In late August, Christina Flores said Heavenly Memorials and Monuments owners Craig and Kristi Mitchell would place her grandmother's headstone on her unmarked gravesite within two weeks.

When the headstone was never placed on the grave site, Flores reported Mitchell to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office for theft. She said weeks passed without any update until ABC13's Jiovanni Lieggi asked the department for an update. A senior officer with the Rosenberg Police Department confirmed that the case was transferred to them on the same day we asked for an update.

An officer with Rosenberg PD now confirms at least eight alleged victims have reported Mitchell for theft.

ABC13 spoke with Flores when this happened and tried to track down Mitchell at his new business location in Richmond. Court documents show he was evicted from his previous business location in Rosenberg for failing to pay rent and is being sued for thousands of dollars.

When Flores wasn't able to find him that afternoon, ABC13 called Mitchell. He said he would work with Flores to get the headstone placed, but she said she didn't believe him.

"I just don't understand how someone could do something so cruel," she said.

SEE ALSO: Action 13 called upon by family who has yet to receive headstone 3 years after grandmother's death

Flores said she paid more than $3,000 for the headstone and believes she'll never get it, and with a tight budget, honoring her grandmother will be hard. The grave site is currently marked with things she said her grandmother loved.

ABC13 tried to track down Mitchell again after Flores said the promise fell through. During a recorded phone call in early October, he said that he would be placing Flores' stone in two weeks. As of Nov. 29, she says it still hasn't been placed.

Court records show Mitchell has been or is currently being sued by at least seven people in different cases.

Charlene Godley and her veteran husband, Marcellous Godley, say they don't expect to see a cent despite a judge issuing a default judgment against Mitchell for $2,300.

"It's very sad that you can do that to someone and sleep at night with no conscience," they said.

During the recorded phone conversation with Mitchell in early October, he said he would call the Godleys to arrange a payment plan and work on paying them back. As of Nov. 29, they say Mitchell still hasn't paid them back a dime.

Mitchell told the Godleys that their headstone was delayed because of the pandemic and shipping issues.

ABC13's Jiovanni Lieggi looked into these claims and discovered that while the headstone was ordered, Mitchell never paid for it.

The wholesale headstone company based out of Texas told ABC13 that they gave Mitchell nearly a year to pay before selling it off to someone else to recover their losses.

Mitchell said he found the stone somewhere else cheaper and decided not to purchase it.

The headstone company sent a statement that reads in part, "Throughout our business relationship with Heavenly, we have also incurred heavy losses for various memorials for which to this day we have not fully recovered."

Adrian Musil said he ordered a headstone early this year from Mitchell for his mother.

"She's my mother, and I'm trying to do right," he said.

Musil said Mitchell gave him the runaround, and Musil tried to cancel the order, but Mitchell told him that it was too late. Musil said the headstone would arrive late this summer, but he said it never did.

"It's terrible that human beings do that to another human being," Musil said.

Court records show Mitchell has a criminal history, and he was accused of stealing from an elderly person. According to the court records, Mitchell admitted to cashing the over $4,000 check and never ordering a headstone he was supposed to buy.

Mitchell was ordered to pay restitution and take an anti-theft course.

"I don't wish him any bad, don't want him to get sick, I just want his business to be closed and for him to go to jail," Musil said.

Flores and the Godleys believe Mitchell may have fled the state.

"I want him to pay for his crimes, pay for all the money he's stolen not just from us but everyone," Flores said.

For news updates, follow Jiovanni Lieggi on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.