Houston man charged with double homicide had cut off ankle monitor months before, court records show

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A man wanted in Houston is now charged in a double homicide in southeast Michigan.

Terrance Sandles was supposed to be under 24-hour house arrest on a separate charge from Harris County.

The 46-year-old was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and retaliation following an incident in July at an apartment complex in Humble.

According to court documents, Sandles allegedly opened fire on two men as they were moving furniture. One of them was hit twice.

Investigators believed Sandles thought one of the men had broken into his truck days prior. However, court documents showed the victim reportedly told Sandles he had nothing to do with it and that his own car had also been broken into.

Sandles was required to wear a GPS monitor as part of his bond conditions. However, a bond violation report showed he allegedly tampered with the ankle monitor, and it was eventually found at a government building in August.

"One of our records clerks was advised that they found an ankle monitor and they turned it in," Harris County Constable's Precinct 4 Cpt. Jose Garza said. "I went ahead and contacted adult probation through pretrial services because we don't have the means to be able to check who's the person wearing that."

Cpt. Garza said Sandles' bond violation would immediately trigger a warrant out for his arrest.

Ultimately, Sandles would be found by law enforcement, but not in Texas.

Instead, he was found more than a thousand miles north in southeast Michigan after being arrested for a double homicide. Sandles is accused of going inside a car dealership and killing the owner and a customer following a dispute over a car he bought there.

"He (Sandles) bought a vehicle...and they had a dispute. He thought it was a lemon. They went back and forth arguing about it, and at a certain point, he just dropped the vehicle off and just left it there," Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide said.

The victims, identified as dealership owner Marvan Batoo, 40, and customer Ghaith Baban, 48, were found shot to death inside the office of Star Auto Sales, a used car dealership in Shelby Township, Michigan, Shelide said. He added that both men were married and had children.

Michigan police tracked Sandles back to a hotel, where they said he had been living, and arrested him.

Sandles now faces more than a dozen felony charges in Michigan, including first-degree murder, in connection with the killings.

Even with his whereabouts now known, it's unclear when Sandles might be sent back to Texas.

"After this case has been concluded, then and only then will they have rights to this prisoner," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said.

Investigators in Michigan said they are still trying to piece together how long he had been in the area and why he chose to go there.

Sandles is currently being held without bond in jail.

"If they convict him and he gets a lot of time up in Michigan, there might be a chance that everything just plays out in Michigan, and he'll never see Texas again," Cpt. Garza said.