Photo: Houston County Sheriff’s Department
Xavier Jawin Howard, 34, has beencharged with murderafter allegedly strangling Tammy Mouton, 53, to death and intentionally setting their house on fire on Jan. 7, according to an HCSO homicide release record.
Mouton had moved into the home with Howard two months prior.
Howard “initially fled the scene” but returned a short time later to help neighborsrescue his two childrenfrom the burning home, the sheriff’s office reports.
Investigators said the children’s mother was not home at the time of the incident,per KTRK.
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Howard was arrested at his place of employment “without incident” and booked into the Harris County Jail, per the release record.
The deadly incident occurred around 5 a.m. local time on Jan. 7, according to the release record. First responders came upon the scene after being alerted to a house fire in the 2700 block of Trementina Drive.
When first responders arrived at the scene, there were three unresponsive individuals outside of the home, per the report: an unidentified adult male now said to be Howard, and two children ages 8 and 10. The individuals, who appeared to be suffering from smoke inhalation, were transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Officials later discovered that Howard “was overcome with smoke while removing both children from the house.”
“The dad had some lacerations. I believe he went in trying to get the girls out,” said Rachel Neutzle of the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office at the time of the incident,per KHOU 11.
Mouton, meanwhile, was found dead inside the residence. The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, which also responded to the scene, reported that the woman had sustained injuries “not consistent with the house fire” in the initial report.
“I’m not going to be okay, my family is not going to be okay,” Mouton’s daughter, Britanny, said shortly after her mother’s death, according to KHOU 11. “This is all new and very shocking.”
Britanny had stayed the night with the family on New Year’s Eve — one week before Mouton died. “Now you are telling me I don’t have my mother? Something is not right about that,” she added, per KHOU 11.
Howard is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, KTRK reports.
source: people.com
