HOUSTON — Ninety-year-old Navy veteran Nelson Beckett lived a long, full life only to die a senseless death at the hands of a carjacker.
Beckett was shot and killed on Saturday, Aug. 31, outside his apartment in a southwest Houston senior living complex. The shooter also stole his car and then ran over Beckett as he sped away.
Beckett and his wife raised two children in a home only nine blocks from the Lone Star Living complex on Westbrae Parkway near Gessner. The victim had only been at the complex for a couple of years.
Speaking exclusively with KHOU 11, Tim Beckett said his father set an example through a lifetime of service to his country and to others.
"He was active in his church. He loved Jesus, he served his country in the Navy, he loved to sing," Tim told us on Monday.
He said Beckett was known for his big heart and even as he aged, he spent his days taking friends without cars to doctor appointments or to run errands.
"He would drive friends from a halfway house to panhandle and take them to church on Sundays, and he even baptized some of them, he would do anything for them," Tim said.
“He helped a lot of people around here a lot of the times if people need a ride or something to the store, he’d be there and help them,” Ronald Patterson said.
“He looked out for our home when he would go on vacation. He stepped up when my mom passed, my brother passed, he was always there,” Robin Patterson told us.
Beckett is also being remembered for his sense of humor and silly jokes that included handing out "business cards" labeled "My card."
Now, family and friends are struggling to understand why anyone could kill such a kind soul.
"It's just senseless and cruel for someone to do that to a 90-year-old man who never hurt a flea in his life,” Tim said.
Beckett's car was recovered at another apartment complex on Dunlap, less than three miles away. The suspect is described as a man in his late 20s.
Houston Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward and Gov. Greg Abbott announced an additional $10,000 for information leading to the killer's arrest.
If you know anything call 713-222-TIPS (8477) or the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS.