HOUSTON — A Houston man has been charged with capital murder after confessing that he shot and killed a man and woman while they were sleeping downtown, according to investigators.
Richard Nugent, 38, and RJ Lewis, 66, were found shot to death on Franklin Street along the Buffalo Bayou Trail on June 2.
More than three weeks later, police said, Bruce Butler, 37, was arrested thanks to a tip.
Not only did Butler admit he did it, according to HPD, but he told them that he would kill again if he was released. They said Butler claimed he was "sent by Yahweh to rid the Earth of heathens" and that he planned to kill four or five more homeless people.
He said he sold the weapon used in the shootings to a homeless man because it had blood on it but he would steal another gun by breaking into vehicles.
How police identified the accused killer
Police found Nugent's body on a sidewalk and Lewis in a stairwell about 100 yards away. Both victims had been shot twice in the head.
A witness gave them a description of the gunmen and they found surveillance video of a man who fit that description running along the path where the victims were shot.
After screenshots were released to the public, a UH Downtown police officer contacted HPD and identified the man in the photos as Butler. They compared the surveillance photos to previous mug shots of Butler to confirm his identity.
HPD then learned that he was in Memorial Hermann Hospital on an emergency detention order and that's where they arrested him.
Butler's attorney said he plans to ask for a mental evaluation for his client.
