Husband indicted in wife's slaying in Hurst

A Haltom City man faces a charge of capital murder after a Tarrant County grand jury indicted him in the April strangulation of his estranged wife in her Hurst apartment.

Grand jurors in Fort Worth reached their decision last week in the case of 42-year-old Randy Cummings, who remained in the Tarrant County Tuesday in lieu of $1 million bail.

The charge is capital murder because he is accused of breaking into into his estranged wife’s Hurst apartment in addition to killing her.

Responding to a welfare check, Hurst officers found the body of 43-year-old Laura Cummings on April 17 and reported seeing a large cut on her throat, but an autopsy indicated she died of strangulation

Arrest and search warrant affidavits in the case gave these accounts:

Tarrant County court records show the couple married on Aug. 2, 2011.

On March 24, Randy Cummings was arrested and accused of assaulting his wife in the parking lot of The Potter’s House church at 1272 Woodhaven Blvd. in Fort Worth. The affidavit states that Randy Cummings rammed Laura Cummings’ vehicle.

After the March 24 encounter, she obtained a temporary protective order. He was not supposed to be within 200 feet of the Hurst apartment where she lived with her 19-year-old son.

She started attending meetings at One Safe Place in Fort Worth, a center that helps victims of family violence. The affidavit says she was trying to get a permanent protective order.

At 10:28 a.m. April 17, the staff of One Safe Place called Hurst police, concerned because Laura Cummings had not shown up for an appointment.

Patrol officers who went to her apartment found broken glass outside from a patio door. Inside, they found her body in a bedroom.

While patrol officers were still at the scene, Randy Cummings was on the phone telling his sister that he killed his wife, the affidavits state.

“It’s bad. It’s bad. Laura and I had a fight,” Randy Cummings told his sister.

His sister and a former wife of Randy Cummings then drove to Hurst. They met Cummings at a Jack in the Box on Hurstview Drive, according to the arrest and search warrant affidavits.

“It was bad. Laura is dead,” he told his sister.

His sister asked how he knew.

“I know,” he replied.

An investigator with state Child Protective Services on another case provided Hurst detectives with a lead. The investigator had called Haltom City police on the morning of April 17 to say she was at the home of Randy Cummings’ sister on an unrelated case when Randy Cummings called her.

Haltom City police notified Hurst police.

That afternoon, Randy Cummings was arrested at his residence in the 1300 block of Clarence Street in Haltom City.

This story was originally published June 16, 2015 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Husband indicted in wife's slaying in Hurst."