Galveston police: 4 confess to drug-related murder

GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- Four men are now in police custody after authorities say they confessed to the murder of a Galveston man earlier this month.

Galveston police say 17-year-old Roshawn Crookshank, 20-year-old Dwayne Edgar, 30-year-old Christopher Short, and 19-year-old Jermaine Crookshank have all submitted confessions concerning their individual roles in the shooting death of 24-year-old Ethan Sigalas.

Sigalas died on January 13 after several shots were heard in the 7000 block of South Park Drive. Sigalas was shot in the chest once and died of his injuries at UTMB John Sealy Hospital.

Police say the investigation revealed Sigalas was targeted after the four suspects learned he may have had marijuana, guns and money.

The police say the suspects burglarized Sigalas' home and after finding nothing, contacted him to set up a meeting under the ruse of purchasing marijuana from him.

At that meeting, police say the men attempted to rob Sigalas at gunpoint, but he was also armed. There was a shootout and police say, in all, 14 rounds were fired by three people at the scene. None of the suspects were hit, and they all fled after Sigalas was shot.

Police say they have located one of the weapons used in Sigalas' murder.

All suspects are in the Galveston County Jail where they are awaiting trial.

Galveston Police Chief Henry Porretto said in a police statement, "This is another senseless killing over narcotics. People are killing each other over $25 of marijuana. If there was ever a reason to quit, wouldn't that be it?"