Houston man accused of murdering 'parking scammer' over $40 then returning to a date in Downtown Houston
Houston man accused of killing parking scammer over $40, went back to date after
A 29-year-old man on a date in east downtown is accused of shooting and killing an alleged parking scammer over $40. He is now charged with murder and had his first court appearance on Thursday. FOX 26's Natalie Hee shares the bizarre details of the case.
HOUSTON - A 29-year-old man on a date in Downtown Houston is accused of shooting and killing an alleged parking scammer over $40.
Erick Lee Aguirre had his first court appearance on Thursday. Aguirre is now charged with murder. His bond has been set at $200,000.
Two weeks ago, Houston police released a surveillance photo of Aguirre and a woman, who were apparently on a date at Rodeo Goat in EaDo.
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Court records say the two had parked separately at a lot near Dallas and Chartres Street around 7:30 p.m. on April 11. The couple reportedly paid a total of $40 to a man who identified himself as a parking attendant.
However, minutes later, documents say Aguirre was informed by an employee at a nearby business that the attendant was actually a scammer who authorities have now identified as Elliott Nix.
Records say Aguirre then went to his car to grab his gun, shot Nix in the back, and left his body on the sidewalk. A witness then called police to report the shooting.
Meanwhile, Aguirre returned to the restaurant and reportedly told his date, "just scared the guy and everything is fine" and the two left a few minutes later and continued on with their date at another location, according to court documents.
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"An intentional killing with a firearm is going to be charged as murder, simple as that," said Michael Hanover, a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
In court on Thursday, prosecutors revealed that Aguirre was out on probation for a 2017 aggravated assault charge in San Patricio County in Corpus Christi.
The woman on the date has since hired an attorney and declined to comment after court Thursday.