A Bellville, Texas man went on a killing spree and murdered 5 family members this past weekend. His fury was so intense that he decapitated his 2-year-old niece with a machete.
Maron Thomas, 20, of Bellville, Texas, shot five family members at their home in rural Austin County, Texas. (Miami Herald)
A family member told police she believed that anger and Thomas conversion to the Muslim religion influenced his actions. Chron.com reported:
A family dispute pushed Maron Thomas to go on a rampage marked by a fury so intense that he decapitated his 2-year-old niece with a machete after killing her and four other family members, Austin County investigators said Wednesday.
Thomas, 20, was charged Wednesday with capital murder in the shooting deaths of his mother, stepfather, sister, brother and his niece. He remains in the Austin County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
This is one of the most horrific crimes weve had in Austin County, District Attorney Travis Koehn said. Austin County is a safe place to live, but unfortunately, we are not immune to the same kinds of crimes that occur in other locations.
The massacre happened between midnight Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday at the familys home 7 miles outside the Bellville city limits, on FM 1456 between Buckhorn and Cochran.
Thomas then allegedly burglarized a car and was arrested around 3 a.m. after being caught trying to break into a house a mile and a half away while he was naked, investigators said. A neighbor held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived and arrested him on burglary charges. When deputies arrived, he had put on a pair of exercise shorts
Thomas sister, KaTara Price, 24, of Houston, said she believes anger and Thomas conversion to the Muslim religion influenced his actions. She said she is not aware of him suffering from any mental illness.