Ex-roommate arrested in connection to death of Del Valle man

There has been a major break in a case we told you about earlier tonight. Travis County law enforcement officers have since arrested a former roommate in connection to the murder of a Del Valle man.

The alleged murder happened around 9:00 Tuesday night. By 4:45 Wednesday afternoon, the lone star fugitive task force caught the suspect. Deputies say 41-year old Reginald Wright came into the home on plains crest circle and killed the victim.

“They recognized the individual who came in as a former roommate. Even though he was wearing a mask they said ‘hey that's you I know who you are,’” Roger Wade with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies say a panic alarm summoned them to the home. When they got there, a man with visible injuries directed them inside the home. Inside the house, investigators found blood everywhere, and a dead man in one of the rooms.

The witness says wright ordered the two of them to get on the ground and give up credit cards and pin numbers or he would kill them. Deputies found the presumed assault weapon, a black rifle on scene. They think Wright used that to beat the victim to death.
Neighbors say the victim was wright's landlord.

“Everybody that came through here, everybody who didn't have a place to live he'd put them up,” Duke Jackson, neighbor, said.

A car still sits in the driveway. It's believed to be the victim's.

“Since he got it he'd go to the store and back, as far as just spending a little time. He was pretty proud of that car,” Jackson said.

The Lone Star Fugitive Task Force says Wright was headed out of town and abandoned his car at the intersection of FM 1185 and Barth Road. He then hid in the brush for a few hours. That's when the task force called in aerial and K-9 support to ultimately pinpoint wright. Right now he's charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Authorities are waiting on an autopsy to file further charges.

“It's a shame when you try to help people and you actually don't know them, that's what happens,” Jackson said.

Wright's bond is set at $50,000 right now. That could change if they have enough evidence to charge him with murder.