Inmate accused of killing woman at SW Houston motel still on the run 10 days after escaping from Mississippi prison

Investigators are searching for an inmate who they say escaped from a Mississippi prison last week after being accused of killing a woman at a southwest Houston motel.

Information from the U.S. Marshals indicated that Joshua James Zimmerman, 30, was in custody and charged with attempted murder and armed robbery and was expected to be extradited to Houston on murder charges.

According to the Desoto County Sheriff’s Office, Zimmerman escaped from the courthouse on Friday, June 14, where he was scheduled to be arraigned.

He has since disappeared and is now believed to be in the Memphis, Tennessee area.

Officials say Zimmerman was last seen wearing a khaki durag, khaki pants, a white t-shirt and flip-flops with prison-issued socks. He also has several identifiable tattoos.

Zimmerman is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 210 pounds. He is said to have shaved his beard since his escape.

He is also considered armed and dangerous, and U.S. Marshals are asking the community not to approach him.

The authorities are proposing up to $5,000 reward for information leading to Zimmerman’s arrest.

The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office reminded the public that anyone seen helping Zimmerman would be charged with a crime. If you have any information, you are asked to call 1-800-336-0102. All tips are anonymous.

Harris County Murder Charge

Joshua Zimmerman, also known by his alias Jamie Quintana, is charged with the murder of Keyanna Shantall Mercer on September 2, 2023.

According to court documents, authorities were called about the shooting at the Red Carpet Inn in the 6800 block of Hornwood Drive.

Officers said when they arrived, they located a deceased woman between the front door and the bathroom door with a horrific gunshot wound to the head.

Employees at the Red Carpet Inn motel told authorities the situation began when someone filed a noise complaint that the victim, Mercer, and the suspect, Zimmerman, were arguing or fighting in their room. hotel.

The assistant principal allegedly went to confront Zimmerman about the noise and reminded him of his zero-tolerance policy on fighting.

After responding, with only a towel, court records show Zimmerman told the manager that he and Mercer weren’t arguing, that they were just talking loudly, and promised they would keep their voices down.

According to hotel staff, someone called a second time about the noise but said this time a woman had jumped out of the window. The assistant principal returned to speak with the two men, but they were not in the room at the time.

The documents then state that the manager eventually disabled their room keys and decided to lock the window from the inside around 3:40 p.m. because someone had mentioned that the woman had jumped.

A few hours later, the director said Zimmerman went to their office to inquire about his personal property, for which they gave him temporary access to the room – only to collect his belongings.

The manager said she waited for a security guard to arrive around 8 p.m. to make sure Zimmerman and Mercer had left the room.

When she and the security guard entered the room, they said the door was not completely closed. The guards knocked then pushed open the door to find Mercer’s lifeless body on the ground with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Days before the Aug. 30 incident, another worker said she was also receiving noise complaints about Zimmerman.

Zimmerman was apparently staying at the hotel for an extended period of time and went to the office to pay the week’s rent. This hotel employee told investigators she alerted him to a noise complaint and said that during their conversation she noticed a woman standing in the lobby with him off to the side, looking shy and scared.

“She asked her if she was okay or if she needed help. The woman responded that she was fine and did not need help,” court documents show.

Then, on September 2, the worker was informed that the woman was indeed outside on the roof with Zimmerman.

When she and the maintenance worker came out, she said she saw Zimmerman on the roof with the woman who appeared to have a bloody mouth.

Investigators were able to view footage from the motel to piece together exactly what happened.

5:00 p.m. – Mercer and Zimmerman returned to the room after staying there for hours.

5:33 p.m. – Cameras capture the sound of an individual scream, followed by a single gunshot.

5:34 p.m. – Zimmerman is seen on camera looking down the hallway, looking in both directions before leaving the room and heading toward the stairs.

8:26 p.m. – Motel staff discover Mercer’s body.

In an effort to help victims, KPRC 2 News created a series: “To liberate oneself”, reporting on domestic violence and its horrific consequences. The series featured various stories of survival, heartbreak, and some even ending in death, but each shared a list of free domestic violence resources on how to get help.

Do you know someone who needs help? KPRC 2 released the following features in “Breaking Free.”

Help is also available immediately if you need it via the following numbers:

• If you are in immediate danger, call 911.