When the next Grayson County District Attorney takes office in January, that person will be the leader dealing with hundreds if not thousands of felony cases and 10 murder cases.
Here is a little information about those cases. These cases have all been indicted, and the indictments are formal charges and not an indication of guilt.
These cases include pending litigation against Tommy Ray Bruton III, Kevin Shilling, Hussein Azab, James Floyd, Michael Bearden, Mason Craig, Anthony Jones, Milton Austin, Rameon Jordon and Candice Cooper.
1. Tommy Bruton,30, was indicted on Sept. 11, 2024, on the charges murder and manslaughter related to an incident from Aug. 21, 2021. The court file does not show an attorney assigned to Bruton.
2. Kevin Shilling was indicted on March 17, 2021 on the charges capital murder, murder and aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury related to the December 2020 death of Blake McCoy. McCoy was reported missing last December and was found dead in Fannin County days later. A police investigation revealed that McCoy had been killed in a motel room on Texoma Parkway in Sherman.
Shilling’s codefendant, Roderick Tad Howard, 34, made a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this month and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Howard must serve at least half of that before becoming eligible for parole.
3. Hussein Mahmoud Azab, 23, of The Colony, was indicted in October of 2022 on a murder charge related to the 2019 death of Corey Lee Wain Perry. The indictment also charges Azab with conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit burglary of a habitation.
In a news release Grayson County DA Brett Smith said, “These arrests and indictments are the culmination of a three-year investigation. We commend the hard work of the Howe Police Department and Texas Rangers for helping to secure the indictments and for promptly arresting these subjects.”
The indictments indicate that Perry was killed as Azab and Nietcho attempted to rob him in his home in Howe on Aug. 27, 2019.
Azab and Kenny Nietcho, 26, were both indicted on charges in relation to Perry’s death.
4. James Floyd was indicted in September of 2023 on charges of murder, injury of a child with serious bodily injury and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the death of a Sherman child back in Sept. of 2019. Previously published reports said that Floyd is alleged to have struck the child with an unknown weapon. Sherman police say the boy was taken to the hospital with significant, unexplained injuries. After several weeks, the child died. Floyd is represented in the case by Lacinda Brese-LeBron.
5. Michael Harris Bearden,22, was indicted in April of 2023 on a murder charge in the January 25, 2023 shooting death at a home in 2900 block of Layne Drive. Reports from the time of the incident show that police allege that officers and paramedics responding to a call at that address found 24-year old Andy Taylor dead. Bearden was also found at that scene and was taken into custody. Jeromie Oney has been court appointed to represent Bearden in the ,case. There is a pretrial hearing set for the case on Dec. 20th.
6. Mason Craig, 31, was indicted on May 3, 2023 on a charge of murder in the Feb.18, 2023 death of Kathleen Craig, his stepmother, at a home in Sherman. Jerome Oney has been appointed to represent Mason Craig in the case. The case is currently set for a pretrial hearing in January and trial in March.
7. Anthony Jones Sr., 47, of Sherman was indicted on Jan. 10, 2024, in the Oct. 25,2023 shooting death of Crystal Jones at a home on Hawk Lane. A news release from the time of the incident said officers arrived to find Anthony Jones in front of the residence. They found the body of Crystal Jones dead with a gunshot wound. Marcus T. Olds has been appointed to represent Anthony Jones Sr. The case is currently set for trial at the end of the month of October.
8. Milton Austin was indicted on a murder charge in the Feb. 24, 2024 stabbing death of 81-year-old Bobby Jones.
A Denison Police Department news release from the time of the incident said police arrived at a home in the 500 block of W. Hanna Street at 3 a.m. to find Austin outside. Upon entering the home, officers located Jones, deceased in his room from apparent stab wounds. Jerome Oney has been appointed to represent Austin in the case. There is a plea conference set in the case in November.
9. Rameon Jordan was indicted on June 26 on a murder charge in the death of 38-year-old Charles Davis of Celina back on April 14, 2024. Michael Sissney has been appointed to represent Jordan in the case.
A news release from the Sherman Police Department said on April 14, 2024, at approximately 1:45 a.m., Sherman PD responded to the 1800 block of Texoma Pkwy in reference to a shooting.
Upon arrival, officers found an adult male victim who was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced deceased. That man turned out to be Davis. There is a plea conference set for the case at the end of October.
10. Candice Cooper was indicted on July 27 on a charge of murder and one of injury to a child. She is represented in the case by Joe Neal Smith.
In a news release earlier this year, Denison Police announced that they had arrested Cooper on a murder charge in connection with her daughter’s death on Christmas Day of 2021.
“On Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, at approximately 8 a.m., Denison Police and Denison EMS responded to the 500 block of West Hull Street for an unresponsive 11-year-old female,” Denison Police Public Information Officer Haley Banks said.
That child was Harper Butler. When Denison EMS arrived, they found Harper not breathing and without a pulse. The child was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Harper’s mom, Cooper, said told police at the scene that Harper had accidentally ingested some of Cooper’s prescribed methadone.
“In June of 2024, detectives received further information that the mother of the child had intentionally administered the methadone to Harper,” Banks said.
Denison detectives re-interviewed Cooper, who then confessed to intentionally giving her daughter the methadone, knowing the health repercussions it could cause.
With that information, the Dallas Medical Examiner ruled Harper’s death a homicide.
11. Claudia Ramirez was indicted on May 5, 2023, on a charge of manslaughter and one of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the April 9, 2023, death of Brian Olivo.
A news release said that Brian Olivo was found deceased near the intersection of FM-1417 and FM-691 on April 9, 2023. The death was initially worked as a hit and run but investigation led police to believe that Ramirez and Olivo had an argument while in the car and Olivo was thrown from the vehicle.
Attorney John Hunter Smith is representing Ramirez in the case. The case is currently set for trial in June of 2025.
