HOUSTON — The family of Brian Coulter released a statement Friday saying their hearts and prayers go out to the 8-year-old boy he's accused of killing and the victim's siblings. Those boys, who were found abandoned in an apartment with their brother's skeletal remains, are in foster care.
The 15-year-old told Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators that Coulter beat Kendrick Lee to death and left him in a bedroom. The teen said Coulter would get drunk and beat him and his 10 and 7-year-old brothers.
"This is not who we raised our son to be," the parents said in the statement. "Our relationship with Brian has been distant for years."
Full statement from Coulter's family
"We are deeply saddened by the events that have unfolded. This is not who we raised our son to be. Our hearts and prayers go out to those brave children. We did not know the children involved but are praying for the soul of the child that passed, his remaining siblings and family and all those affected by this horrible tragedy. Our relationship with Brian has been distant for years. We have nothing productive to contribute to this conversation that has not already been shared with the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Our family asks for privacy at this time as we grieve this terrible situation."
Arrested at Bucee's in Luling
We've learned Coulter was arrested in Luling last November and accused of being high with a loaded pistol at the Bucee's there.
"I had to instruct Coulter multiple times to place his hands on the steering wheel," the arresting officer said in a statement. "When I opened the driver's door to detain Coulter, I immediately detected the strong pungent odor of marijuana emitting from his persons and the cabin of the vehicle."
The officer said he found weed and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle and Coulter was taken into custody. He said Coulter was lethargic and told him they were in "Houston going to Houston."
Luling Police Chief Bill Sala said Kendrick's mom, Gloria Williams, was with Coulter but she wasn't charged. She told the officer they were headed to San Antonio. There were no children with them at the time.
The chief said he's been in law enforcement for 45 years but the heartbreaking case of Kendrick Lee and his brothers is beyond words.
“You get to a point where you think you’ve seen everything, and then all of a sudden you get to a point where you realize that you did not or had not. And anything of this nature that involves a child and a child’s death is, well, beyond horrendous and disgusting. That’s the most polite way I can put it," Chief Salas told us.
Coulter spent six days in the Caldwell County Jail before bonding out. HCSO investigators believe Kendrick was killed sometime last November so Coulter's Luling case will help them narrow the timeline.
Exclusive jailhouse interview
Coulter remains in the Harris County Jail on a murder charge. His bond was set at $1 million. Williams remains jailed on charges of injury to a child by omission and tampering with a human corpse. She's being held on a $900,000 bond.
In an exclusive interview from the jail, Williams told Grace White last night that she's innocent.
"I'm sorry. I didn't do it," Williams said. Read the full story here.