June 15, 2023 - A suspect charged and wanted in the death of a man found at 400 Franklin Street about 6:30 a.m. on June 3 is in custody.

The suspect, Richard Denton Needham, 39, is charged with murder in the 184th State District Court. A booking photo of Needham is attached to this news release.

The victim is identified as Lawrence Jirucha, 66.

HPD Homicide Division Sergeant C. Duncan and Detective L. Lovelace reported:

HPD patrol officers responded to the above address after a passing motorist found a man unresponsive. It appears the victim, believed to be homeless, had suffered severe trauma. Responding Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced him deceased at the scene.

An autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences identified the victim as Mr. Jirucha and determined his cause of death to be from blunt force trauma. At that time, there was no known suspect(s).

Further investigation identified Needham as the suspect in this case and, on Tuesday (June 7), he was charged for his role in the incident.

On Wednesday (June 14), Needham was arrested by METRO police officers without incident.