HOUSTON -- A University of Houston student charged with murdering a homeless man near the UH campus appeared in court as more details were released about the crime, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday.

Jeremy Lee Pierce, 32, is accused of shooting Joe Tall, 48, at 7 a.m. on Feb. 7 in the 3500 block of Cullen Boulevard. Tall, who was homeless, was sleeping in a bus stop shelter when he was shot in the head, police said.

UH police arrested Pierce on Wednesday.

Investigators said two UH students told officers that Pierce threatened them with a gun and admitted to shooting Tall.

"A search warrant was obtained and inside where he was living was a firearm," prosecutor Ed McClees said.

The gun is being processed to determine if it matches the murder weapon.

According to court records, Pierce said he was walking by Tall when Tall moved his leg and raised his head while he was on a bench.

Pierce said he shot Tall because he was in fear for his life.

Court documents also showed that Pierce told several UH students that he killed Tall "because homeless people are a blight on society and need to be eliminated."

Houston police said Pierce admitted to the killing during questioning.

In court overnight, Pierce exhibited bizarre behavior -- unable to sit still, swaying and constantly looking around.

He grimaced when he heard the murder allegation against him.

When he tried to respond, the magistrate court judge warned him to be quiet.

"Mr. Pierce, I suggest you not try to make any statement right now, sir. You don't have the benefit of an attorney advising you if you say something that's harmful to your case," the judge said.

UH students who knew Pierce said he always seemed weird and moody.

"He was a weird individual. He was on drugs a lot. He didn't look like a student. We were nice to him, but we kept our distance," said a student who did not want to be identified.

"I think that if they did a little more screening on their backgrounds to make sure they are safe to be on campus -- that might change some things about the university and the crimes that we have on campus," said Bonnie Newton, a UH student.

"I see him as a low-life, really, who wants to mess with someone who really has nothing in their life," said Alfredo Vasquez, a UH student.

Pierce's bond was set at $75,000.

Pierce is scheduled to return to court on Monday to get an attorney appointed to him.

The university said it has nearly 50 police officers patrolling the UH campus and more than 500 security cameras to monitor the campus around the clock.