A woman who previously dated the man accused of fatally shooting her, her husband and six children texted her mother before her death that she was being held at gunpoint, a Texas district attorney said today.
Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said after the man appeared in court that authorities had been alerted of problems at the home by the mother of victim Valerie Jackson.
"My heart goes out to the mother who received the text from her daughter that she was in trouble, and the mother was many states away but of course did what any mother would do and called 911," Devon Anderson said.
David Conley, 48, who has been charged with capital murder, stood handcuffed and shackled before State District Judge Vanessa Velasquez as the probable cause warrant naming him was read.
There was no mention of a lawyer either appointed or hired during the court hearing. His only response was to acknowledge his name when asked by the judge, who also read him his rights.
Those killed, who all were shot in the head, were identified as parents Dewayne Jackson, 50; his wife, Valerie Jackson, 40; and their children Dewayne, 10; Honesty, 11; Caleb, 9; Trinity, 7; and Jonah, 6. Also killed was a 13-year-old, Nathaniel, who was believed to be Conley's son from the relationship with Valerie Jackson.
Most of the victims had been handcuffed and some had been shot multiple times, police have said.
"We do not cannot fully comprehend the motivation of an individual that would take the lives of so many innocent people. Especially the lives of the young ones," said Chief Deputy Tim Cannon of the Harris County Sheriff's Office. "The killer's motives appear to be related to a dispute with Valerie, who was his former domestic partner."
Anderson said it would be three to four months before she decides whether to seek the death penalty.
