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Brother arrested, charged with sister’s shooting in Houston

Richard Taplin is wanted by police (Houston Police Department)

HOUSTON – A man has been arrested after being charged with his sister’s murder last month, Houston PD announced.

Richard Taplin, 35, is facing charges of murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and illegally carrying a weapon with a felony conviction in connection with Sarah Taplin’s death.

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On May 20, Richard was arrested in Arizona in a joint operation with Houston and Phoenix task forces.

According to police, the shooting took place in Houston near Martin Luther King Blvd and Bellfort at around 10 p.m. on April 27.

HPD says Sarah Taplin was in an argument with another woman in the parking lot of a gas station. Richard allegedly took a gun from someone nearby, pointed it at the unidentified woman and fired it at her as she ran away.

HPD says Richard Taplin was also firing indiscriminately into the crowded gas station parking lot across the street and hit his sister.

Sarah Taplin died from her injuries and Richard fled the scene.

He is currently in custody in Arizona awaiting extradition back to Houston.


About the Author
Michael Horton headshot

Michael is a Kingwood native who loves visiting local restaurants and overreacting to Houston sports. He joined the KPRC 2 family in the spring of 2024. He earned his B.A. from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023.

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