TEXAS CITY, Texas – Texas City police have released the identity of the man they say fatally stabbed his estranged wife while she was working at a convenience store Monday night.
Officers were called to the Timewise Shell at the corner of State Highway 146 and FM 1765 at around 9:30 p.m. after receiving reports of an attack.
When officers arrived at the scene, they said they found a female clerk lying unresponsive on the floor. Texas City EMS arrived and pronounced the woman dead.
According to investigators, the woman, who has been identified as 36-year-old Crystal Lynn Patterson, was attacked by her estranged husband, who was identified as 58-year-old Bryan Miller. Miller fled the store, got into a vehicle and headed north on Highway 146, officers said.
Police said dispatch received a call around 10:14 p.m. from a man stating that his friend, Miller, said he stabbed his wife.
Detectives and patrol officers went to Miller’s residence in the 900 block of Lane Road and detained him without incident, investigators said.
Miller’s long-time neighbor, Eric Owens, told KPRC 2 he felt something was wrong Monday night when Miller’s truck was missing from his driveway.
“He’s normally here by night but he was gone last night,” Owens said. “I woke up about 11:30 and I heard a noise and saw all the police cars.
Owens said the couple had only been married for a few months, though they were estranged.
“They had been married for two or three months, actually,” the neighbor said. “She wasn’t staying here at the house. They were having problems.
The neighbor said the last time he saw Patterson was last week when she stopped by the home.
“His wife used to come over here and help him big time,” Owens added. “She was even helping to take care of his mom and stuff. I guess he’d get so angry she couldn’t stand it because I talked to her a while back.”
Miller has been charged with murder, and his bond is set at $250,000. He is being held in the Texas City jail and is awaiting transfer to the Galveston County jail.