Police in Texas arrest murder suspect described as 'the definition of a serial killer' in connection with three-week shooting crime spree that left four men dead
Police in Texas have arrested a suspected serial killer who has been accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend's father after going on a deadly three-week crime spree that took the lives of three men.
Jeremy Harris, 31, was arrested last week in connection to the killing of 60-year-old Blair Carter, whose lifeless body was discovered inside the victim's burning home in Celina on Thursday morning.
Harris has since been linked to the shooting deaths of a Southern Methodist University student, a homeless father-of-one and a grandfather who was gunned down at a red light. Police said the three killings took place between October 31 and November 14 and were random and unprovoked acts of violence.
Dallas Police Deputy Chief Reuben Ramirez said during a press conference on Friday announcing Harris' arrest that he could be responsible for additional crimes in the area, including non-fatal shootings in Denton and an aggravated assault.
Harris is accused of shooting and killing SMU student Jaden Urrea, 19, on October 31
Urrea was waiting for a ride-share in downtown Dallas after a Halloween party when police say a white Ford pulled up next to him and the driver opened fire
'In my opinion, based on what I've seen so far, I believe this is the definition of a serial killer,' Ramirez told reporters. 'It is extremely unusual for someone to just go on a shooting spree.'
Harris was booked into the Collins County jail on Saturday on three counts of first-degree murder. He remained jailed on $3million bond as of Monday afternoon.
According to the police, at 11.10am on November 18, the Celina Fire Department was called out to a fire at a home in the 1400 block of Anvil Drive. After extinguishing the flames, firefighters entered the residence and discovered the body of the homeowner, later identified as Blair Carter.
Police were summoned to the scene and spoke to witnesses who reported seeing a man, described as standing at about 5 feet, 7 inches tall and dressed in all black, running from the burning house and carrying an unknown object.
Witnesses reported hearing the sound of gunfire coming from Carter's home before the arrival of firefighters, reported The Dallas Morning News.
Investigators then obtained information identifying a vehicle that matched the description given by witnesses at the scene and Harris as a suspect.
Multiple agencies joined the search for the suspect, which took them to 'many construction sites' before Harris was finally located with his vehicle, a black Chevrolet Tahoe, in Ellis County and taken into custody.
On November 14, Adam Gautreau was panhandling in the area of the northbound service road of I-35 when a black Chevy Tahoe rolled to a stop and the driver summoned him over. As he approached the vehicle, Gautreau was shot nine times
Gautreau was battling drug addiction. He is survived by his 11-year-old son
The Chevy Tahoe was later linked to at least two murders that took place in the Dallas-Fort Worth area over the last three weeks. Another vehicle that was spotted during a third killing - a white Ford Taurus - also was connected to Harris.
On October 31, 19-year-old Robert 'Jaden' Urrea, a Southern Methodist student, was waiting for a ride-share vehicle in downtown Dallas after celebrating Halloween when a white Ford Taurus with chrome rims and tinted windows pulled over.
According to an arrest affidavit, the driver appeared to beckon for Urrea to approach the passenger side and shot him.
Police later tracked the Ford to a repair shop and discovered a spent cartridge under the passenger seat.
The vehicle belonged to Harris' girlfriend. He allegedly took it for a ride after a couple's quarrel on the night of Urrea's murder, and returned it four hours later, according to court documents.
Urrea was a political science major on the pre-law track. He also was said to be a gifted musician who sang and played in a band.
'Jaden was so incredibly kind, trusting, forgiving, funny, and so unapologetically himself,' his sister wrote in a Facebook tribute. 'We are so blessed that he has left behind tons of songs that he has written for his band Cherry Trap. Over the past couple of years I have witnessed Jaden flourish into such an amazing young man and I am so incredibly proud to call him my brother.'
Thirty minutes after Gautreau's murder, 57-year-old Kenneth Hamilton was driving home in Dallas when this black Chevy Tahoe SUV pulled up beside him at a red light and the driver opened fire
Hamilton is survived by his wife of 23 years, Joyce. The couple have children and grandchildren
Two weeks later, on November 14, homeless man Adam Gautreau, 36, was panhandling in the area of the northbound service road of I-35 when a black Chevy Tahoe rolled to a stop and the driver summoned him over.
As he approached the vehicle, Gautreau was shot nine times.
Gautreau is survived by his 11-year-old son. The boy's grandmother told NBC DFW that he was living on the streets and struggling with drug addiction, but when she last spoke to him last month, he talked about getting his life back on track.
'Adam was a wonderful, wonderful person,' the woman, who gave her name only as Tiffany, said. '[He] would never hurt a soul, and had a beautiful smile, great guy.'
Less than 40 minutes later, 57-year-old Kenneth Hamilton was driving home from running an errand when he was shot dead at a red light at South Beckley Avenue and Clarendon Drive in east Oak Cliff. Police said the gunman drove a black Chevy Tahoe with black rims.
Hamilton was described as a father, grandfather, and husband of 23 years.
'For somebody to do something to him is just beyond me,' Hamilton's widow, Joyce, told KHOU11. 'Because he wasn’t the type of person that would go around starting trouble with people.'
Harris was also being investigated in connection to an aggravated assault that was reported on the morning of November 16 in Dallas.
The following night, police responded to reports of a shooting on East University Drive in Denton where a female driver and passenger, both 20 years old, were shot by the driver of a vehicle that pulled up beside them. The victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
On November 18, firefighters in Celina, Texas, were summoned to this home for reports of a fire. After extinguishing the flames, they found a man's body inside
Blair Carter, 60, was allegedly shot. He was the father of Harris' ex-girlfriend. Carter is pictured right with his daughter, Amber. It is unknown if she was Harris' girlfriend
Then on Wednesday morning, firefighters found Blair Carter's body inside his scorched home in Celina. Witnesses said he was the father of Harris' ex-girlfriend.
Carter's daughter. Amber, paid tribute to her slain father on Facebook, describing him as 'the greatest Dad on earth.' It is unknown if she was Harris' girlfriend.
She continued: 'I like to think that’s he’s up there now having a jam sesh in the clouds with Eddie Van Halen, Neil Peart, Walter Becker, Michael Jackson, & John Lennon. With Grandma Sylvia in the front row. I love you Dad.'
Investigators relied on witness accounts and cellphone records to place Harris at the scene of the crimes.
When they raided his apartment, they reportedly found the black rims from Harris' Chevy Tahoe, which a neighbor said he had witnessed being removed just days earlier, and a 'destroyed and burned' 9mm handgun, which an expert confirmed to be the weapon used in the murders.
No comments