Man charged with murder in his grandmother's death

A 21-year-old man is accused of killing his grandmother and hiding her body in the shed.

In court on Monday, prosecutors said the grandson claims it was an accident.

On Sunday, police conducted a welfare check in the 17000 block of E. Longwood Meadows Dr. in Cypress. Authorities said the family last spoke with 67-year-old Hazel Billingsley Saturday evening. When family members were unable to get in touch with her on Sunday, they drove to her home, where they found her grandson, 21-year-old Nathan Billingsley loading personal items into Ms. Billingsley's car. Police said Nathan Billingsley and his girlfriend then fled the home into a wooded area nearby.  Nathan was armed with a handgun.

Deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office later found the grandmother’s body wrapped in a blanket inside a shed in the backyard.

Investigators said the grandmother’s body was found in a green and blue blanket and that she had multiple gunshot wounds.

In court on Monday, investigators say Nathan had told family members he would hurt his grandmother. Prosecutors said Nathan did not show up to probable cause court because he was on suicide watch, but they told the judge Nathan had reported the shooting was accidental and that he had shot his grandma from five to six feet. However, investigators said his story doesn’t match the evidence.

“Evidence at the scene conflicted with the suspect’s statement as to the distance at which the gun was fired due to soot and stippling around the complainant’s wounds,” investigators said in the probable cause court video.

The motive for this alleged murder is unclear.

Nathan Billingsley does have a criminal record though his previous charges were not violent. He has a history of theft and marijuana possession. He is scheduled to be in court Tuesday morning and being held on a $200,000 bond.