Man arrested in deadly stabbing in northeast Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- For the second time in two days, a woman was murdered allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend.

Police arrested Victor Lee Williams Thursday afternoon. They say he fatally stabbed his live-in girlfriend in their northeast Houston apartment.

"It's my only daughter, my child. I'll never see her again," said Annie McFarland, the victim's mother.

Twenty-five-year-old Scherry McFarland's body was found around 3pm in the 9000 block of Sterlingshire at Balsam. Police say Williams, 38, escaped the area on a child's bicycle.

Then just before 6pm, police found and arrested Williams. He was hiding in an attic in an abandoned house about a block away from where MacFarland's body was discovered.

Police were originally tipped off by Williams' sister, who called them to say her brother had called her around 1pm, saying he was going to kill McFarland, himself and his ex-girlfriend, who is the mother of his children.

When police responded, McFarland was already dead.

Wednesday, Houston police say the victim in another love-gone-bad relationship filed a report with them against her ex-boyfriend three hours before he walked into the apartment leasing office where she worked on Greenbriar near the Medical Center and shot and killed her. Takita Mathieu had filed a similar harassment report last month but Wednesday's was because he called her 140 times just that day.

Harris county reports more than 100 deaths on average from domestic violence every year. These tragic outcomes are rare. Thousands more victims are successful in leaving and others should not be discouraged according to Amy Smith of the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council.

"Anytime someone says I'm going to hurt someone, take them seriously. Anytime someone says I feel like he's going to hurt me or she's going to hurt me, take that seriously, too," said Smith, the Deputy Director.

Mathieu was a mother of a 2-year-old girl. McFarland leaves behind an 8-year-old son with special needs. Police say Williams believed McFarland "disrespected him" by spitting in his face.

Eyewitness News has also learned he was in the news late last year. Williams showed up at a police station in December with a knife, baiting police to kill him, according to investigators. Officers were able to get him to drop the knife and put him into police custody. He received mental health treatment and was never charged.

Houston Area Women's Center

Domestic Violence Hotline

713-528-2121