Police have charged a man with murder after he allegedly poured gasoline on a Houston attorney and his son and set both men on fire.
Curtis Holliman was arrested Monday night. Holliman is charged with killing Dexter Taylor, son of longtime Houston attorney Kirby Taylor. Investigators said Holliman, 32, doused both men with gasoline in the living room of their house, and set them on fire.
Just before 11 a.m. Monday, neighbors in the 2200 block of Ewing heard screaming coming from the house. A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said she went outside to investigate and saw the elder Taylor in his front yard trying to retrieve a garden hose. His pants were badly burned.
"The pant legs had been burnt, like, up to the knee. So there was no pant legs," she said.
Another neighbor called 911 and firefighters arrived within four minutes. They found Kirby Taylor, 67, just inside the front door, while furniture burned in the living room. They discovered Dexter Taylor, 46, in another part of the house on the first floor.
"Mr. Taylor was walking around like he was a little disoriented, and then about 20 minutes later they brought his son out," the neighbor said.
Dexter Taylor suffered second- and third-degree burns on his buttocks and legs. He was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Kirby Taylor remains hospitalized with non-life-threatening burns.
According to court documents, the three men argued earlier in the morning, and the argument ended with Taylor and his son laughing, apparently further angering Holliman.
He allegedly told them, "You think that's funny? I've got something for you," and went upstairs to his room. He came back a few minutes later with a container of gasoline, doused them both and set them on fire.
Kirby Taylor has been a practicing attorney in Houston for over four decades. Now in private practice with the firm Ross and Taylor, he spent much of his early career as a prosecutor in the city municipal courts.
Holliman appeared in court Tuesday night and is being held on $50,000 bond.