Family members have identified a man shot and killed by his cousin early Saturday morning as 39-year-old Carlos Balthazar Canales.
Nathan Bryan Miller, 33, is being held without bond at the Harris County jail on charges of capital murder for the killings of Canales and an unidentified woman. Houston police say a third victim, identified in court as Jacob Farquarson, was found with multiple gunshot wounds and taken to a hospital.
Investigators discovered the victims in northwest Houston Saturday morning after they say Miller called police from a nearby gas station.
Police say Miller confessed to the crimes as he was being detained at the gas station, then led officers to the scene at the end of Neiman Street where several shipping containers in a wooded area were being used as housing.
Relatives say Canales was a musician and painter who paid $100 per month to use the space as a studio and occasionally slept there.
They said Canales had rented the space for about two years and was letting his cousin, Miller, stay there the last several months.
Miller did not appear in court during an initial hearing held Sunday. A judge denied the suspect’s bond, saying that the suspect could still be a risk to the community because he claimed he shot the victims because he thought were practicing witchcraft and that he had threatened to kill other family members.
Court documents said Miller is being interviewed to determine if he has a mental illness. His next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
The family has created a GoFundMe to help with burial expenses, you can donate here.