Houston man accused in 2-day crime spree hit with second murder - Chron.com

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

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Russell Cormier, 53, appears in court on charges of killing two, including his ex-wife, and shooting and injuring his neighbor, on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, in Houston. Cormier is being held on $500,000 bond.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

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Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

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Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

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Russell Cormier, the man wanted in connection with a two-day gruesome crime spree was arrested early Friday morning, April 21, 2017 in a northeast Harris County park.

Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office

A Houston man arrested after a two-day crime spree that left two people dead and one injured has been charged with a second count of murder and could face additional charges of arson and aggravated assault as investigators continue to unravel the evidence.

Russell Cormier, 53, who appeared Tuesday in court in a wheelchair with a bandaged hand, is charged with murder in the death of his ex-wife and a man on April 17.

Prosecutor Traci Bennett said Cormier confessed to the two slayings and to shooting a neighbor with a shotgun, although that charge has not been filed.

CRIME SPREE:Investigators say man shot wife, dragged body into driveway

Bennett said she is also considering filing an arson charge against Cormier, who is accused of setting fire to the trailer where he lived. She said Cormier apparently burned his hand during the attempt.

His attorney, Brian Roberts, said in court that Cormier was in a wheelchair because of a broken ankle, but did not give details on what happened.

Cormier remains in the Harris County Jail in lieu of bail of $500,000. State District Judge Denise Bradley ruled bail would stay the same until prosecutors decide if they want to upgrade charges to capital murder, because of the second slaying.

Intentionally causing the deaths of two people is a capital crime.

Investigators believe Cormier shot and killed his ex-wife, 61-year-old Fannie McWhite, near her northeast Harris County home on April 17.

Neighbors apparently heard two shots about 6 a.m. and looked outside to see Cormier dragging his ex-wife's body toward the street. Two shell casings were found nearby.

The neighbors said Cormier fled the scene in a black Toyota Tundra pickup truck.

Witnesses said a man in a black Toyota truck shot and killed 60-year-old Thornton "Jack" Bivens about 8 a.m. as he arrived to work about five miles away.

SUSPECT HUNT:Police say man on two-day crime spree considered extremely dangerous

Three shell casings from the same gun were found at that scene, prosecutors said. Those shells matched a pistol that Cormier had bought at sporting goods store. He told police where the gun was when he was arrested, Bennett said.

"He confessed to both murder cases," Bennett told the judge, "as well as the aggravated assault that has not been filed."

The prosecutor did not give any details on that shooting except that a shotgun was used.

Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office have said Cormier is believed to have gone back to his home on Shotwell Street the following morning where he shot and injured an unidentified neighbor around 4:30 a.m.

Police believe that between the first two shootings, Cormier likely returned to his trailer to collect some belonging then set fire to it. No charges have been filed on the fire.

Days after the shootings, Harris County deputies arrested Cormier after finding him sleeping in a park on Gaston Street off the Eastex Freeway in northeast Harris County.
Several guns were recovered, said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

brian.rogers@chron.com
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