GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas — A Friendswood man was sentenced to life in prison Friday after killing his father with a crossbow in 2022.
Luke Michael Starling was 18 years old when he murdered his father, Christopher Starling.
During trial for his punishment, Luke told jurors there was no fight between him and his father and he was not mad when he shot his father in the back of the head with a crossbow.
The Galveston County District Attorney's Office said Luke -- who had a long history of drug abuse -- moved to Friendswood to live with his dad at the end of August 2022. Luke was homeless until his father allowed him to stay with him, the DA's office said.
Luke killed Christopher in September 2022. After killing his father, Luke ran away. Family members thought Luke may have overdosed so they went to his home to check on him. That's when Christopher's body was found, covered with blankets.
Luke had traveled to Lampasas County, which is about a four-hour drive from Friendswood. Investigators tracked him through cellphone records and once he was found, he confessed to killing his father saying, "I did it. I'm guilty."
Luke told jurors that he planned on killing himself but wanted to know what it was like to live, knowing that he was going to die, the DA's office said.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Ricque Davis said Luke "earned every day of a life sentence."
