HOUSTON – A man has been arrested and charged after deputies say he started a house fire in order to cover up his mother-in-law’s murder.
Jawin Howard, 34, has since been charged with murder. He is accused of strangling his mother-in-law Tammy Mouton to death.
The incident happened on Friday, Jan 7, at a home located in the 2700 block of Trementina Drive. Authorities responded to reports of a fire, and once on the scene, they found the 53-year-old grandmother dead inside of the home and Howard, along with his two daughters, injured from the fire.
Howard and his daughters were all taken to the hospital for their injuries and all three were treated for smoke inhalation.
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More than two weeks later, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said an investigation revealed Howard intentionally set the home on fire to hide Mouton’s death.
Gonzalez said Howard initially fled the scene, but then returned minutes later to help neighbors remove his two children from the residence.
Howard has since been arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail.
Arrest update: HCSO Homicide Investigators have charged Xavier Jawin Howard (34) with murder in the strangulation death of Tammy Mouton (53). The investigation revealed that Howard intentionally set fire to his residence to conceal Mouton’s death. He initially fled the (1/2) https://t.co/Y5h1uO94dj
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) January 25, 2022