Suspect arrested in case of innocent 62-year-old woman killed while riding in SUV

A 19-year-old man has been found and arrested, days after he was charged with the murder of an innocent 62-year-old woman.

Tekoney Blackledge is charged in the death of Saron James. She was fatally shot on July 16 while riding in an SUV with her husband in west Harris County.

Blackledge was arrested in Harrison County, Mississippi, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Saron was shot through the passenger window of their white Isuzu Rodeo just before 6:30 p.m. on July 16 at Old Greenhouse Road at Windy Stone.

Her husband, Cleveland James, told deputies he thought he heard fireworks before noticing the passenger window was shattered. He explained that he didn't realize at first that his wife had been shot in the head.

"I didn't even duck. I just turned away because there was smoke," Cleveland explained. "I thought it was firecrackers and all this smoke started coming out, and the force of the explosion. I turned to my wife and said, 'Saron, did you see that?' And she just was slumped over, and that was the biggest shock to me."

Cleveland pulled over and screamed for help, flagging down other drivers. He held a rag to his wife's face to stop the bleeding.

"Blood was all over, and it really struck me. How could this happen? I kept saying, 'Saron, stay with us, baby, stay with us. Stay with us, don't leave, stay with us.' Tried to keep her focused. But there was no response," Cleveland said.

Saron was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died.

Authorities say multiple tips about Blackledge came in to Crime Stoppers.

An investigator on the case was contacted by a Houston police officer. The HPD officer was working an extra job at Texas Children's Hospital when he investigated a gunshot wound victim who arrived at the hospital for treatment. That person claimed he was shot by unknown people while driving his white vehicle.