HOUSTON, TX - A 34-year-old Texas man is facing a capital murder charge after authorities claim he fatally stabbed a 90-year-old man with a screwdriver inside of the victim’s home in August of 2025.
After a nearly year-long investigation into the murder of 90-year-old Francisco Chura, DNA evidence aided investigators in placing 34-year-old Anthony Cerda under arrest. According to authorities, the victim and suspect were familiar with each other prior to the alleged August 20, 2025, incident that left Chura hospitalized until his passing on September 7, 2025.
When police responded to the victim’s home following the attack, they observed a safe that was reportedly left open, with a then-conscious Chura telling police the suspect ran off with approximately $3,000 in cash. Chura was able to describe his attacker to police, telling officers he had long hair and that he played dead in a bid to end the ultimately fatal attack.
The suspect had reportedly gained entry into the victim’s home, which was directly connected to a convenience store owned by the victim, by removing a window AC unit, before punching the sleeping Chura multiple times and then producing a screwdriver and stabbing the victim multiple times.
Roughly two months after the incident, detectives noticed a man, later identified as Cerda, hiding inside of a crawl space situated inside of a home near the scene of the crime while speaking with the homeowner. Suspecting the individual was trying to hide from police, detectives asked the homeowner who the man was, which she identified as her nephew, Cerda.
The homeowner also informed police that Cerda would often go to the victim’s convenience store, additionally describing Chura’s passing as “such a sad story” and hoped investigators would find the person responsible for the fatal attack.
Investigators began turning their attention to Cerda following the interview with his aunt, later speaking to a witness who claimed they spoke with Chura the night before the stabbing. According to the witness, Chura detailed an encounter from that evening where a man he lent money to came back a second time and demanded more, leading to Chura reportedly refusing and kicking him out of the convenience store.
The witness claimed they asked Chura who the man demanding money was, but Chura reportedly didn’t want to reveal the man’s name.
Come January, detectives interviewed a man who allegedly spoke with Cerda following the fatal incident, where, while reportedly getting together, Cerda allegedly told the man that he “killed Pancho,” which was Chura’s nickname.
Critical evidence was obtained earlier in June in the form of DNA evidence found on the bloody screwdriver retrieved at the scene of the incident, which allegedly had both the victim’s and Cerda’s DNA on it. Cerda already happened to be in custody at the Harris County Jail on unrelated charges when the DNA evidence hit, leading to a capital murder charge as of June 13.
Cerda’s first court appearance on the new charges is scheduled for June 15.
Comments