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‘I love my good friend:’ Man beaten to death on Father’s Day, stepson taken into custody

“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe it.”

HOUSTON – A father was found beaten to death early in the morning on Father’s Day, and his stepson was arrested.

The Houston Police Department responded to a 911 call at an apartment complex off Sherwood Lane in Northwest Houston around 5:45 a.m.

According to detectives, when officers broke down the door to the apartment, they found 71-year-old Bill Fazenbaker dead inside the home. He was reportedly badly beaten.

“There’s broken furniture,” said Sgt. Michael Cass with the Houston Police Department. “And like I said, our 71-year-old victim is badly beaten to the face and body.”

Neighbors identify the victim as Bill.

“Oh my gosh. I can’t believe it,” one of the neighbors said. “[He was a] good person.”

Fighting back the tears, the neighbor—who didn’t want to be identified—says he has lived next to Bill for nearly a decade.

He recalled the moment he got the phone call saying Bill was killed.

“They just told me Bill, somebody killed Bill,” they said.

The Houston Police Department said their sole suspect is Bills’s stepson, Ricky Ray Allen Jr. He was arrested at a nearby corner store, according to detectives.

The stepson was taken to HPD headquarters for questioning.

“He’s being booked in the Harris County Jail now,” said Sgt. Cass. “I can’t really release any names at this point. But, honestly, it’s sad to see this event on Father’s Day.”

HPD has not yet released the charges Allen facing.


About the Authors
Gage Goulding headshot

Gage Goulding is an award-winning TV news reporter and anchor. A native of Pittsburgh, PA, he comes to Texas from Fort Myers, FL, where he covered some of the areas most important stories, including Hurricane Ian.

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