HOUSTON – A $7 million bond was set for the man charged in connection to the fatal carjacking of a 90-year-old Houston Navy veteran.
The suspect, Kyliel Denzel Arceneaux, 21, was charged with capital murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence. He was arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Harris County jail.
During Arceneaux’s first court appearance, the judge agreed to the prosecutor’s request for a $7 million bond.
The shooting happened on Saturday at the Lonestar Senior Living Apartments along Westbrae Parkway near Rainer Drive when the carjacker shot and killed Nelson Beckett.
Prosecutors also revealed further disturbing details about the deadly carjacking, stating that Arceneaux pistol whipped Nelson Beckett during the crime and then ran over his body with the victim’s vehicle.
The deadly carjacking was right outside Beckett’s apartment building. His car was found 10 minutes away at a different apartment complex in the 12500 block of Dunlap Street.
Arceneaux was later identified as the suspect in this incident. During court, prosecutors said Arceneaux confessed during his arrest.
“This defendant has shown to be incredibly dangerous,” said Chandler Raine, chief prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Homicide Division.
“We heard through probable cause this morning that the defendant struck the complaint several times with his firearm before shooting him fatally and continued to strike him after that before robbing him, taking the keys to his car,” Raine said.
“Once inside of that car, the defendant then drove the vehicle over the complainant’s body causing him further damage,” said Raine.
“They immediately recovered surveillance footage, the immediately spoke to witnesses who were able to paint the entirety of what happened to Mr. Beckett,” said Raine. “They had no known connection to each other. There’s no reason he should have been in the vehicle other than being the person that committed this crime.”
Family relieved arrest made
KPRC 2 Reporter Corley Peel spoke with Beckett’s family. They said they are relieved an arrest has been made.
They plan to lay him to rest next week.
Beckett served in the U.S. Navy. His friends and family described him as a “very caring man” with his daughter saying he was the kindest and funniest man you’d ever meet.