Prayers for Bellville

[Trashman]

BELLVILLE, Texas – Authorities say five people have been found slain in a home in southeast Texas.

Sgt. Paul Faircloth with the Austin County Sheriff's Department says in a news release that deputies found the bodies of four adults and one child Sunday at a Bellville home. Faircloth says one person is in custody and is being questioned in connection with the homicides.

Authorities would not release any additional information about the slayings, including the names of the victims, their relationship, or how they were killed.

The Texas Rangers are helping with the investigation.

Bellville is a bedroom community with a population of about 4,000 about 55 miles northwest of Houston.

[lvbears32]

prayers from la vernia

[44INAROW]

That is horrible.. Prayers from Cuero.

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Jan. 18, 2010, 12:24AM
5 people — including a child — were found dead inside a Bellville home Sunday afternoon, authorities said.

Deputies discovered the bodies in a home in the 8400 block of FM 1456 around 2:15 p.m., said Austin County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Paul Faircloth.

Investigators have taken one person — reportedly the son of a victim — into custody for questioning.

Authorities were not releasing any further information about the slayings.

But family members said the victims included 69-year-old George Washington and his wife Debra Washington, as well as his wife's daughter, her son and her 2-year-old grandchild, according to news reports.

Katherine Washington, George Washington's ex-wife, said she and other relatives are still trying to piece together what happened and to process the tragedy.

“It's terrible. I can't believe it,“ she said. “I'm still in denial. The whole family is devastated.“

Katherine Washington said she and George grew up together and were childhood sweethearts before getting married. The couple had three children together before divorcing. She described him as a good, church-going man who regularly attended services.

“I loved him then and I'll always love him as a friend,“ she said.

Gloria Pfeffer, 74, who lives across the street from George Washington, said she only met the family once when they moved into the neighborhood about three years ago, but that they were always friendly.

“We waved at each other all the time,” she said.

Pfeffer, who was born and raised in Bellville, said the news of the slayings was shocking and frightening in the usually quiet town.

September slaying
In September, a prominent Houston doctor was killed at his Bellville ranch during a botched robbery and kidnapping attempt. Four men were charged with capital murder in the slaying of Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez, 56, a pulmonary specialist and chief of the critical care section at Houston's Methodist Hospital.

“It really, really makes you think,“ she said. “You never know what's going to happen next.“

The Austin County Sheriff's Office is in charge of the investigation, with assistance from the Texas Rangers.

KHOU contributed to this report.

anita.hassan@chron.com

LINK ( http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6820768.html)

[shamu85]

I had forgotten about that doctor being killed. There was an article in Texas Monthly (I think) on it that I was reading one day while waiting in a doctor's office, but never finished. Weird deal.