Update on Incident at 4500 Cosby

June 20, 2007 - Charges have been filed against a suspect in the fatal shooting of a man at 4500 Cosby about 12 p.m. May 18, 2007.

The victim, John “Lil John” Henry Hayes, 24, of 4612 Dewberry, sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect, Robert Lanier Horace (b/m, DOB: 12-5-89), is charged with murder in the 183rd State District Court.

HPD Homicide Division Sergeant J.W. Belk and Officers R.A. Swainson and M. Miller reported:

HPD officers responded to a call of a body found in a vacant lot at 4500 Cosby. Officers found a body wrapped in household articles. Family members of a reported missing person arrived at the scene to inquire about the found body. The physical and clothing description of the deceased matched very closely to those of the missing person’s description. An autopsy confirmed the identity of the deceased body to be Mr. Hayes.

During the investigation detectives found witnesses who were inside a house at 6410 Paris on May 16, 2007 where the incident occurred. Witnesses stated around 3 a.m. suspect Horace shot and killed Mr. Hayes and then observed Horace dispose of the body at the vacant lot at Cosby.

On June 19, investigators interviewed suspect Horace at the Harris County Jail where he is housed after an unrelated arrest and drug charge. Horace provided the investigators with a tape-recorded confession. His motive for the shooting is retaliation after alleging that Mr. Hayes beat him up a week earlier and stole some of his stuff.

2nd Update: JGA/VHS 6-20-07
Updated: JGA/GO 5-23-07
GO/VHS 5-18-07
Inc #072787007

For additional information, please contact the HPD Public Affairs Division at 713-308-3200.