Police in Texas arrested 21-year-old Nathan Billingsley on charges that he murdered his grandmother 67-year-old Hazel Billingsley then wrapped her body up in a sheet and hid it in their shed.
Reports say that on Sunday family members of the two showed up at the home they shared in Cypress, Texas after they were unable to reach Hazel all day Saturday. When they arrived they saw Nathan and his girlfriend loading personal effects into their car.
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No word on if there was an exchange between the family members and Nathan, but he’s said to have fled on foot, with his girlfriend, away from the home and into the woods near the home.
Authorities were called to the residence and that’s when Hazel’s body was discovered. They continued searching for Nathan and his girlfriend and found them hiding in the woods. While they were both taken into custody without any incident, it was reported that Nathan still had the handgun he allegedly murdered his grandmother with.
Sgt. Ben Beall, Harris County Sheriff’s Office homicide detective, said that Nathan allegedly sent threatening text messages in the past about murdering his grandmother. He stated, “He was texting messages to family members threatening to kill his mother and grandmother, to take the car.”
Nathan’s family members claim that he has dealt with mental health issues and that he’s also struggled with drug addiction.
His uncle, Sunny Zamir, told reporters, “It was like a roller coaster with him, fine one week, messed up another week. It was all drugs. He’s been struggling for a long time with mental problems, and he’s been on heavy drugs and in and out of the hospital. Every time we try to commit him, he checks himself out so I actually blame the law for it, I really do.”
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The unnamed girlfriend was released into the custody of her family, but Nathan remains behind bars on a $200,000 bond. His appointed lawyer, Leah Borg, did not immediately respond to calls from reporters. At this time no official motive has been given.
Hazel’s daughter Melania spoke of her slain mother, saying, “She saw beauty in everything.” Another daughter, Carrie Zamir, said, “She was my rock and one of my best friends. She did not deserve this.”
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