Naked suspect beat man to death with firewood victim delivered to Fort Worth home: warrant
A 27-year-old who faces a murder charge was naked when he approached a man delivering firewood at a southwest Fort Worth home and beat him to death with a log, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The suspect, Chrisantus Omondi, also assaulted the homeowner, threatened a guest at a nearby Airbnb and seemed be to under the influence of an unknown substance during the bizarre attack Saturday, police wrote in the affidavit.
Omondi was arrested at the Airbnb in the neighborhood, where a witness said the suspect had been staying, after officers received multiple 911 calls about the assault in the 3900 block of Wendover Drive around 8:40 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found the homicide victim, 51-year-old Scotty Edward Jackson, dead in the front yard with injuries to his head and upper body. Another victim, the homeowner who witnessed the assault, was treated and released from a hospital after also being attacked, police said.
In the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram, the homeowner told police he contacted the victim, who he referred to as “Scotty,” to purchase firewood.
Jackson arrived in a U-Haul filled with firewood and began to unload the vehicle, when both the victim and the witness were approached by Omondi.
The suspect was holding a key and said, “This is my house, I have the key right here,” according to the warrant.
Both Jackson and the witness told Omondi to leave, and that’s when the suspect picked up a piece of wood and immediately struck Jackson in the head, the witness told police.
Jackson chopped and delivered wood “on the side to make extra money, and with Texas getting cold weather he was making sure everyone was stocked up with firewood,” his daughter Kasey DeLeon wrote on a GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses. Jackson was making some last-minute deliveries before a winter storm that brought snow and ice to North Texas hit on Sunday.
“He had just called me at 7:56 p.m. that he was fixing to deliver wood and I told him be careful,” DeLeon said. “Little do I know that’d be the last conversation I had with him.”
DeLeon didn’t find out until 1 a.m. Monday morning that her father had been killed. The family saw a news story about the homicide and called the medical examiner’s office, where authorities confirmed they had her father’s body.
Omondi again swung the piece of wood and hit the homeowner, who tried to block the strike with his arm, according to the warrant. The witness ran and locked himself inside his home in an attempt to get away from the attacker.
The witness called 911 and watched in terror as Omondi continued to hit Jackson and dump a wheelbarrow on him, the warrant says. The homeowner said he saw Omondi leave and go toward a neighbor’s yard.
In the 911 call, the witness described Omondi as going into a residence, which police discovered is an Airbnb.
Officers approached the residence Omondi walked into and could hear yelling coming from inside, the warrant says. The front door was open and officers identified themselves, requesting the person yelling to come out.
Omondi then came out of the residence and yelled at officers, police said. Officers stunned him with a Taser because he was “non-compliant and aggressive,” according to the warrant.
The suspect was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
A tenant staying at the Airbnb told police she heard the disturbance outside and said she was taking a basket of clothes from her guest room to the shared laundry room when Omondi came into the house yelling at her. She recognized Omondi as a tenant staying in one of the other guest rooms, she told police.
When she returned to her room, Omondi tried to force his way in while yelling at her, “I’ll beat your [expletive]! I’m going to [expletive] you up,” she said.
The tenant then ran to the bathroom, where Omondi also tried to force his way in, according to the warrant. He left when police arrived, the woman said.
She told police she believed Omondi to be under the influence of an unknown substance.
Officers observed blood on the floor and on a door inside the Airbnb residence.
Omondi remained in the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday with bond set at $312,000.
Omondi previously was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and obstruction of justice after he was accused of pointing at gun at security officers in Fort Worth in May 2023, according to Tarrant County court records. The court has ordered that information be collected about whether Omondi has a mental illness.
DeLeon thanked the community for the love and support Jackson’s family has received and said “if you can’t donate just send a prayer for him and our family.”
This story was originally published January 17, 2024 at 4:38 PM.
