<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1ULejI_0wD83h8800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1ULejI_0wD83h8800" width="980" height="653" ><figcaption>Danny Merrell</figcaption></figure><p>A Lufkin man is behind bars after being arrested and charged with Capital Murder for his involvement with a homicide that took place over 15 years ago in Tarrant County.</p><p>According to a <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/grand-praire-police-make-arrest-2008-cold-case/287-66b184cc-bb6f-4089-bcfa-198fe11fb76c">report from WFAA</a>, on October 4, law enforcement from the Grand Prairie Police Department, Texas Rangers, and the Lufkin Police Department apprehended Jerry Lee Gardner, 44, at his residence.</p><p>He was taken into custody and booked into the Angelina County Jail for Capital Murder as well as other outstanding charges such as issuance of a bad check and operating a vehicle with an expired driver's license. Gardner was then transferred to the Tarrant County Jail where he is currently held under a $1 million bond.</p><h2>Details of the 2008 Homicide</h2><p><a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/grand-praire-police-make-arrest-2008-cold-case/287-66b184cc-bb6f-4089-bcfa-198fe11fb76c">WFAA reports</a> that on August 8, 2008, the Grand Prairie Fire Department responded to a structure fire. Firefighters found a deceased man inside the house. He was identified as Raymond Hernandez, who was 45 years old at the time of his death.</p><p>An autopsy would later reveal that Hernandez was the victim of a homicide.</p><p>DNA was collected at the scene of a possible suspect, however, no possible matches were developed from the sample. In 2022, cold case detectives used <a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/grand-praire-police-make-arrest-2008-cold-case/287-66b184cc-bb6f-4089-bcfa-198fe11fb76c">genealogical testing technology to identify a potential suspect's DNA</a>, and then in September 2024, a lead was developed through the genealogical search.</p><h2>Previous Angelina County Arrests</h2><p>Gardner was also charged with serious offenses in Angelina County in 1998 (cocaine possession, deadly conduct, unlawfully carrying a weapon) and in 2000 (reckless driving, assault causing bodily injury).</p><h2>Notorious: The Life And Crimes Of Every Woman Executed In Texas</h2><p>Only six women have ever been executed in Texas since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty. This is a look at their crimes, the motives of which range from greed to drugs, to horrific abuse. We also take a look at the first and last legally hanged women in Texas. </p><h2>Texas 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants (October 2024)</h2><p>Here is a look at the 10 most wanted criminal illegal immigrants in Texas currently. </p><h2>Laws That You Could Break Just by Walking Down the Street in Texas</h2><p>Walking down the street in Texas might seem straightforward, but there are certain laws you could unintentionally break.</p></div></body>

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Lufkin Man Charged With Capital Murder in 2008 Cold Case Homicide

A Lufkin man is behind bars after being arrested and charged with Capital Murder for his involvement with a homicide that took place over 15 years ago in Tarrant County. According to a report from WFAA, on October 4, law enforcement from the Grand Prairie Police Department, Texas Rangers, and the Lufkin Police Department apprehended Jerry Lee Gardner, 44, at his residence.