Tenant charged with capital murder in fire that killed landlord in SW Houston, filing reads

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston police have arrested a man they said is responsible for killing his landlord and burning his home to the ground.

Timothy Wallace, 53, is charged with capital murder.

Wallace is accused of beating and then stabbing his landlord 13 times in the back before setting fire to the Willowbend home they lived in.

That landlord, 65-year-old David Lind, was a father and grandfather.

"Always there for you if you needed him. He was a great dad. He was a great person," Lind's daughter Joy Cauthen previously told ABC13.

The Houston Fire Department was called to the 4800 block of Kinglet Street in southwest Houston on March 1.

Lind's family said he grew up in the home and inherited it from his parents.

Lind's nephew told ABC13 he was renting out two of the bedrooms, and Wallace was one of the tenants.

Court records said Lind's girlfriend and nephew reported to police that Wallace was behind on rent.

The second roommate reported hearing an argument between the victim and suspect the night before the fire.

That second roommate also told police that Wallace woke him up to the fire and "was clothed and appeared to be freshly showered."

Investigators said the fire started in Wallace's room, where they discovered "two knives found in the remains of the burned mattress."

A handheld propane tank was also found near the mattress, investigators said.

With the man accused of killing her father and destroying her family home behind bars, Lind's daughter said, "I have faith that our justice system will convict and get justice for our family."

Wallace is being held with no bond at the Harris County jail, pending the outcome of a mental health assessment.

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