Austin Police: Murder victim's body transported in shopping cart

AUSTIN, Texas - Newly released court documents reveal grisly new details about a woman's murder in North Austin. Police say the man arrested for the crime put her body in a shopping cart and pushed it along I-35 in broad daylight.

On January 19th a man discovered the body of Tasha Morrison at a homeless campsite near Rundberg and I-35.

The medical examiner's office ruled the cause of death as homicide by strangulation.

Paul Mullen provides assistance to the people living at the campsite.

"It is so sad. These people out here are exposed to all kinds of crime and danger," said Mullen.

Two days after her body was found, Austin police got a tip that Morrison was last seen at the budget inn, north of the campsite.

Detectives reviewed surveillance video at the motel and say they saw Morrison entering a room with 58-year-old Robert Sanders Junior.

18-hours-later, police say Sanders was seen entering the room with an empty shopping cart. An hour after that, officers say he emerged from the room with a large figure with human features in the cart, covered with a winter coat.

Officers say when Sanders left the motel room, he continued pushing the shopping cart with Morrison's body inside of it along this sidewalk of the I-35 southbound frontage road.

Officers say surveillance footage from another business showed Sanders continue down the sidewalk for a half a mile until arriving at the homeless camp near little walnut creek.

It was 8:15 on a Sunday morning.

30 minutes later, officers say sanders is on video returning to his motel room without the shopping cart and carrying the coat.

Sanders was arrested and charged with Morrison's murder.

Sanders is in the Travis County Jail with a $500,000 dollar bond.