HOUSTON – The man accused of killing a woman from Humble and fleeing to Mexico faced a judge for the first time Monday morning.
Troy Clay smiled as he exited the courtroom. He mouthed the word, "boo" before exiting the room.
Clay, 42, is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Melissa Morden.
Police say Clay stabbed Morden to death, then called her mother and told her what he'd done.
Morden's mother told KPRC 2 she received a call on Oct. 10 from Clay, who said he killed Morden the day before. The victim's mother said Clay hung up the phone after he gave her a very detailed account of how he killed her daughter.
"That's how unfortunately Melissa Morden's death was discovered," assistant district attorney Lacy Johnson said. "Mr. Clay called her mother very callously and said that he had killed her daughter the night before and stabbed her to death. She was horrified and went over and found her daughter deceased."
Morden's parents immediately went to her apartment at the Cascade at Fall Creek Apartment Homes in the 8400 block of North Sam Houston Parkway East, where her mother discovered her body.
When deputies arrived at Morden's apartment, they found her dead on the floor with trauma to her body.
Morden's mother said her daughter and Clay were childhood friends who lost contact, but recently reconnected on Facebook.
Morden, 36, had reportedly been dating Clay for less than a year and took him in because he was not employed and did not have a place to live.
Clay was captured by Mexican authorities in the beach town of Rosarito, near the U.S. Mexican border. He was handed over to San Diego police,on behalf of the U. S. Marshal's Office and was extradited back to Harris County.