Unresolved Criminal Cases in Houston

All three elements are well represented in Houston, which boasts the third-largest sheriff's department in the nation – the Harris County Sheriff's Office. There are more attorneys per capita in Houston than in all but eight other metropolitan areas of the U.S. A single Houston criminal defense attorney has ample opportunity for clients.

Despite a large criminal justice system and an 80 percent clear rate, there are approximately 450 unsolved murders since 1972 in Houston. Here are some of the most macabre unsolved cases, and one mystery on the cusp of complete resolution.

Antoinette Bailey

Antoinette Bailey left the Spring Branch apartment she shared with her sister's family for what her sister believed was a quick jaunt to a nearby store. Antoinette, then 27, regularly walked to the nearby place to buy beer in the evenings. On Aug. 6, 1999, she told her sister to leave dinner out, because she'd be returning shortly.

It was last time Antoinette's sister would see her alive. The next day, Antoinette's body was found at a home construction site near Barker-Cypress, miles away from her own apartment. She had been beaten, and her body had many defensive wounds on her arms and hands. Antoinette fought back.

Investigators are still fighting to bring her killer to justice.

The Texas Killing Fields

Technically, the Texas killing fields aren't in Houston, but many of its victims were Houston residents.  Between 1971 and 2006, police recovered 30 bodies from acreage alongside Interstate 45 near Texas City. Many speculate that the mostly-unsolved cases were the work of a serial killer. All of the victims, most between the ages of 10 and 25, were women. And investigators noted that many shared similar physical features. Many of the victims were last seen performing fairly mundane tasks, like Laura Miller, a 16 year old from League City Texas. Miller was last seen at a convenience store on Oct. 10, 1983. Her body was discovered in the killing fields in April of 1984. Laura Smith, a 12-year old from Friendswood, Texas, was last seen jogging on April 3, 1997. Her body was found 20 days later in the killing fields.  A 2011 film, "The Texas Killing Fields," is loosely based on the unsolved cases, and a 2015 book, "Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields," examined 19 of the murders.

 

The Kennedy Sisters

After more than 30 years, prosecutors charged Edmond Beauregard Degan with capital murder of the Kennedy sisters. The sisters were killed in 1984. Their haunting murders remained unsolved for 31 years, though police questioned Degan as a background witness early in their investigation.

Yleen and Lillie Kennedy were sisters and roommates, living together in Houston Heights. The girls' father found their bodies inside their home on March 5, 1984. Lillie was simply shot to death. However, Yleen was raped, stabbed and bludgeoned as well. The eldest, Yleen ran a small business selling antique clothing and jewelry, and police believed robbery may have been a motive for the viscous murders.

In 2014, a witness arrested in Indiana on unrelated charges broke his silence about the crime giving police the final pieces of the puzzle. The witness was named Degan and when his DNA was a match for that found on one of the sisters, he was arrested and charged.

There's more to the criminal justice system than police and prosecutors. As cases are resolved they also involve victims, the accused, and a Houston criminal defense attorney.

Source : articlesbase.com