SABINE COUNTY, Texas (KTRE) - The Texas Attorney General’s Office will take over prosecution of Houston attorney Michael Howard, accused of shooting and killing his adult son and burning the body at a Sabine County property, San Augustine County District Attorney Paul Robbins said.
District Judge Jim Payne signed an order transferring the case after Robbins filed a motion to recuse his office.
The recusal followed an opinion from the attorney general’s office concluding that local prosecutor staff could become necessary trial witnesses, according to Robbins.
Investigators completed a Texas Rangers review into the Dec. 1, 2024, death of Mark Howard, the 68-year-old son of Michael Howard, who had Down syndrome.
Authorities said Michael Howard called the district attorney’s office the following day and spoke in detail with the chief investigator, stating the call was his first contact with law enforcement, according to Robbins.
Sabine County officials said Howard waited about 17 hours before reporting the shooting, claiming he mistook his son for an intruder, washed the scene and burned the body roughly 1.5 miles away, according to an affidavit.
Howard faces charges including murder, desecration of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, according to the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office. He was previously held on a $10 million bond.
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