Galveston County: 18-year-old on trial for capital murder in death of girlfriend's grandmother
GALVESTON COUNTY - An 18-year-old is on trial for capital murder in the death of his girlfriend's grandmother in Galveston County.
Grandmother found shot to death in Bacliff
Two teens in custody for Bacliff murder
Two teens are in jail in connection with a murder that happened in Bacliff. One of those teens is accused of killing her own grandmother.
The backstory:
In February, deputies were called to do a welfare check on in Bacliff. They went to a home on 15th Street where they reportedly found Tammy King deceased.
Investigators were called to the home and they allegedly detected foul play.
The Galveston County Sheriff's Office were initially looking for 18-year-old Uriah Urick and 17-year-old Tara King as "persons of interest" in this case.
They were later found and arrested in Laredo and charged with capital murder for the death of Tara King's grandmother. They’ve been held without bond in the Galveston County Jail since their arrests.
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Bacliff murder: Teen, her boyfriend charged in grandmother's murder, court document details
Galveston County court documents reveal more details regarding the death of Tammy King, who was found in her Bacliff home. Her granddaughter, Tara King and Uriah Urick were arrested and charged with capital murder in connection to her death.
Uriah Urick trial
What we know:
On Wednesday, a key witness, Urick’s alleged drug dealer, testified that Urick paid him $1,000 to give the couple a ride out of town after they became wanted for murder.
Galveston County: 18-year-old on trial for girlfriend's grandmother's death
18-year-old Uriah Urick is charged with capital murder for the death of his girlfriend's grandmother in February. FOX 26's Jillian Hartmann gives a recap of testimony from the man who allegedly help the couple get away after the shooting.
Investigators say back in February, Tammy King was found dead inside her Bacliff home. Her body was discovered covered with a sheet in her bedroom. The home appeared ransacked, with several guns missing and her purse emptied.
A medical examiner testified that King died from a gunshot wound to the head and ruled her death a homicide.
According to investigators, Tara King and her grandmother had an argument because Tara did not want to go to school.
After the shooting, authorities say Tara and Uriah cut and dyed their hair.
In court, jurors saw Walmart surveillance video that a detective said shows Tara buying hair dye with cash. The detective testified that Tara left the store with Christian Atkins, who allegedly offered the couple a place to stay after they asked for help on social media.
Investigators say evidence was later recovered at Atkins’ home.
Detective Brian Barnard, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, said, "There were several firearms, a pile of clothes, cut-off hair, and several boxes of hair dye."
Third Suspect Testifies
What they're saying:
A third suspect, Travis Hodge, was also arrested in the case.
Hodge is accused of driving the couple to Laredo to help them avoid law enforcement. He was charged with hindering apprehension, as well as gun and drug charges.
Hodge is currently in jail but agreed to testify for the state.
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Galveston County: Man arrested, accused of helping teens charged in grandmother's death, GCSO says
The Galveston County Sheriff's Office announced a third arrest in the murder of Tammy King. King's teen granddaughter and the girl's boyfriend were the first two to be charged in this case.
Hodge shared details of his conversation with Uriah following the murder:
Travis Hodge said, "I asked him what was going on. He said he couldn’t really talk about it. I said, ‘What do you mean?’ and he said it was self-defense. I asked, ‘What was self-defense?,’ and he never answered. Then, he asked for a ride to Illinois. I told him I couldn’t take him that far, but I could take him to Mexico. He said he wanted to get to Canada, so I told him there was a border closer."
Hodge also testified that Uriah gave him two guns, and one of them was allegedly the murder weapon.
The Source: FOX 26 reporter Jillian Hartmann attended Uriah Urick's capital murder trial. Information in this report also comes from previous FOX 26 reports.