CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas – A man has been arrested in connection to a 2020 murder where a wheelchair-bound man’s body was found dumped in a lake in Chambers County.
According to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll Richardson is charged with murder.
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The sheriff’s office said the investigation began when on October 13, 2020, the body of 37-year-old, Daniel Howey, a wheelchair-bound individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities, was found in Dutton Lake on FM 2354. Howey had been reported missing out of Harris County around the time his body was located.
Investigators discovered Howey had been under Richardson’s care at the Caring Hands Group Home in Harris County. Detectives later discovered that Howey had received a large settlement from a personal injury case in May of 2020.
Detectives identified Richardson as a suspect in the case and information found during the investigation revealed that Richardson systematically depleted Howey’s large settlement through various transactions, including large sums of money directed to himself, his associates, and his business.
“Investigators located a witness who provided critical eyewitness accounts leading up to, and during the course of the murder of Howey, which took place in Chambers County, Texas. Detectives developed a motive after discovering that Howey had threatened to report Richardson for the theft of his settlement money. Detectives were also able to identify an accomplice of Richardson, who they identified as Shaun Sandles, of Harris County,” the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives presented the investigation to a Chambers County Grand Jury who indicted both Richardson and Sandles on May 30, 2024 on charges of Murder.
Monday, Richardson was taken into custody while he attended an unrelated court hearing in Harris County.
“Richardson was transported to the Chambers County Jail without incident. Sandles is currently incarcerated at the Powledge Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on unrelated charges out of Harris County,” the sheriff’s office said. “The Chambers County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens and visitors in our community. Victims of exploitation and abuse are encouraged to come forward and report their experiences.”
Anyone with any additional information on the case is urged to contact the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office at the attention of Sgt. C. Hudson or Lt. L. Clement at the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division at 409-267-2500.