TV Actor Akili McDowell Charged With Murder

The 'Billions' star was charged in connection to the fatal shooting of Cesar Peralta and also faces a theft charge.

By Allison Schonter

Akili McDowell, an actor who appeared on the Showtime series Billions and starred in the OWN series David Makes Man, has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to a deadly shooting at an apartment complex in Harris County, Texas. McDowell, 21, was arrested on Aug. 1 on a murder charge in the shooting death of Cesar Peralta, 20, the Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed. The actor also faces a theft charge.

On July 20, deputies responded "to an incident that occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 13503 North Thorntree, near Wallisville and Uvalde (East Harris County)," Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Ed Gonzalez said in a statement. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered an adult male, later identified as Peralta, suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Gonzalez said suspect had fled the scene by the time officers arrived.

In an Aug. 3 update, Gonzalez reported that "Homicide Investigators charged Akili McDowell (21) with murder in the shooting death of Cesar Peralta (20). McDowell was recently taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail." Harris County Sheriff's Office online records showed that McDowell arrested on Aug. 1 and booked into the Harris County Jail on murder and theft charges. According to Law & Crime, the theft charge stems from a July 2023 misdemeanor case in which McDowell allegedly stole a pair of headphones. He was "charged with murder while on bond for theft," per charging documents.

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McDowell is being held on $400,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 9. In a statement, McDowell's manager Jonell Whitt said that "[t]his is an unfortunate situation and I am in prayer for Akili and those impacted by this tragedy. I respectfully have no comment at this time."

McDowell is best known for his lead role on the series David Makes Man. The actor starred as the titular character on the show, which followed a teenage prodigy from the projects who was haunted by the death of his closest friend. The series, which received Critics Choice Award and Gotham Award nominations, ran on OWN for two seasons from 2019 until 2021. He followed the role with appearances as Savion Williams on Billions. His other credits include The Astronaut Wives Club, The Waterboyz, Nightfall, Criminal Activities and I Am Athlete, among others, per his IMDb profile.

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