Houston man charged with capital murder in fatal assault allegedly used screwdriver, records show

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Nearly a year after a 90-year-old man was killed in a grisly manner in southeast Houston, an arrest has been made.

According to court documents, someone living in the area at the time was just charged with capital murder and allegedly used a screwdriver in the attack.

The suspect was identified as 34-year-old Anthony Cerda.

Neighbors said the victim, Francisco Chura, ran a convenience store in the area.

ABC13 spoke with a neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous.

"Everybody knew him. Everybody grew up with him," the neighbor said. "Everybody was surprised when that happened."

According to court documents, Cerda allegedly broke into Chura's home on Canal Street by removing an A/C unit from the back window and then stabbed Chura in the stomach.

Court documents said the victim's room was covered in blood, and a bent screwdriver was found on the floor. The records also mentioned that detectives found an open safe with no money left inside.

Police said Chura was taken to the hospital with severe injuries.

While there, court documents said he told police that while he was asleep in his room, which is next to the convenience store, he woke up to a man punching and stabbing him repeatedly.

Police said Chura told them he played dead until the suspect left, then hid in a bathroom until sunrise before running to a neighbor for help.

He also reported $3,000 missing from the safe. 18 days later, police said, Chura died from his injuries.

"I was surprised because I didn't think anybody would do anything like that," the neighbor said. "He was from the neighborhood, and he helped everybody out."

Nearly two months later, court documents indicate that while officers were in the neighborhood, they spotted a man hiding in a crawl space beneath a nearby home.

The homeowner allegedly identified him as her nephew, Cerda, who was homeless and staying with her.

Investigators said in an interview that Cerda admitted he knew Chura and even told detectives that police needed to go, quote, "get to the bottom of it."

Court documents said an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip ultimately identified Cerda as the suspect and led to his arrest.

His DNA was also found on the screwdriver at the scene, according to court documents.

Cerda, who was already in jail on an unrelated charge, remains behind bars and is due back in court on Monday.