Man confesses to killing sleeping man and woman, HPD says

HOUSTON – A Houston man has been charged with capital murder after confessing to shooting a man and woman as they slept downtown, investigators said.

Richard Nugent, 38, and RJ Lewis, 66, were found shot to death on Franklin Street at Buffalo Bayou Trail on June 2.

More than three weeks later, 37-year-old Bruce Butler was arrested based on a tip-off, police said.

According to HPD, Butler not only admitted he did it, but also told them he would kill again if he was released. They said Butler claimed he was “sent by Yahweh to rid the earth of Gentiles” and that he planned to kill four or five more homeless people.

He said he sold the gun used in the shooting to a homeless man because it was covered in blood, but he would steal another gun by breaking into vehicles.

Police found Nugent’s body on a sidewalk and Lewis in a stairwell about 100 yards away. Both victims had been shot twice in the head.

A witness gave them a description of the shooters, and they found surveillance video of a man matching that description running down the path where the victims were shot.

After screenshots were made public, a UH Downtown police officer contacted HPD and identified the man in the photos as Butler. They compared the surveillance photos to previous mugshots of Butler to confirm his identity.

HPD subsequently learned that he was at Memorial Hermann Hospital on a restraining order and arrested him there.

Butler’s attorney said he plans to request a psychiatric evaluation of his client.

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