Houston man claims he killed two homeless people due to 'mission' from Yahweh
HOUSTON - Bruce Butler is facing capital murder charges after confessing to killing two homeless people as part of a "mission" from Yahweh.
The 37-year-old was arrested after an investigation led police to suspect him of shooting Richard Nugent, 38, and RJ Lewis, 66, on June 2 near the 600 block of Franklin Street.
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Around 6:35 p.m., HPD officers found Nugent dead on the sidewalk near Buffalo Bayou Trail, with two apparent gunshot wounds in his head. Officers located Lewis also found dead with a large gunshot wound to her head. She was found on a stairwell leading from the trail to the intersection of Congress and Smith Street.
Initially, there was no clear motive or suspect in the double homicide. However, a breakthrough came on June 20 when investigators released surveillance images of a person of interest. A tip from the public led to the identification of Butler as the individual in the photos.
Bruce Butler
Houston police were able to locate Butler, who had been taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital under an Emergency Detention Order.
Butler confessed to HPD investigators to killing Nugent and Lewis while they were sleeping along the walking path. He got rid of his gun due to it being "dirty" from the blood on it and sold it to an unknown homeless man.
According to court documents, Butler told police he was "sent by Yahweh to rid the Earth of heathens" and that he would continue his "mission" after he was released from the hospital. Butler stated he would break into vehicles to find another gun to target more homeless individuals while they slept, planning to kill at least four or five more people.
On June 24, Butler was arrested and booked into the Harris County Joint Processing Center.