HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A man is charged with capital murder after a woman was found shot to death in her northwest Harris County home on Thursday.
According to court documents, an officer was called to Heather Smith’s home on Beechmoor Drive near Creek Crest Drive on Friday. When investigators arrived, Smith’s boyfriend let them in the house. He told investigators he went to the house to check on Smith because she wasn’t responding to text messages or calls. Smith's boyfriend said when he got to the house, the front door was kicked in and he found Smith shot to death lying on the floor, according to court records.
Investigators said they found multiple fired cartridges inside Smith’s home, signs of forced entry, a footprint on the door and Smith’s body lying on a bedroom floor, court documents say.
An autopsy will be performed to determine Smith’s official cause of death.
According to the court records, detectives obtained still pictures of the suspected killer from surveillance video at a nearby home. The photos showed that on Thursday at 4:47 p.m., a silver Chevy Silverado was parked in Smith’s driveway and a man, later identified as Christopher Braziel, 42, could be seen between the truck and Smith’s front door.
Detectives said they found the owner of the Silverado by running the license plate and finding out the vehicle was registered to Braziel. They then found a previous mugshot of Braziel, which matched the man in the surveillance photos.
Investigators also found a digital alarm monitor inside Smith’s home, which recorded when doors inside her home were opened and closed. Those times were:
4:39 p.m.: Garage door opened
4:40 p.m.: Primary bedroom patio door opened
4:51 p.m.: Front door opened
4:55 p.m.: Front door closed
Detectives got another surveillance photo that showed the Silverado parked on the road in front of Smith’s house at 4:53 p.m., court records say.
Investigators found Smith’s phone and while talking to her son, they were able to unlock the phone and said they found security videos that showed Braziel near her home.
4:35 p.m.: Smith arrives home in a black Genesis
4:36 p.m.: Smith walks toward the garage
4:42 p.m.: A silver Chevy Silverado pulls up to Smith’s house and leaves at 4:43 p.m.
4:47 p.m.: The Silverado pulls back into Smith’s driveway. A man investigators said was Braziel gets out of the truck, walks toward the house, and then gets back in the truck
4:49 p.m. The man identified as Braziel is seen approaching Smith’s home with a semi-automatic weapon with an extended magazine sticking out of his back pocket or waistband. Investigators said Braziel is seen on the video walking back and forth right outside the home and then approaching the house again at 4:51 p.m. before the video cuts off
4:51 p.m.: Investigators said a new video shows Braziel running out of Smith’s house, then going back inside, coming back out and entering the house a third time, and coming out at 4:55 p.m
4:56 p.m.: Investigators said Braziel gets in the Silverado and drives away
While Investigators were canvasing Smith’s neighborhood, they spotted a silver Silverado speeding through the area, according to court documents. Detectives followed the truck and saw Braziel pull up to the home where the truck was registered. He was wearing the same clothes and carrying the same gun as the person in the surveillance video, investigators said.
Braziel was charged with capital murder. A judge will determine if he will be issued a bond.