Croc sandal left at scene of killing leads to arrest 8 months later, TX cops say

Months after a 21-year-old man was shot dead while confronting an accused car thief, police have made an arrest, Texas officials say.

Julian Comeaux was out with a group of friends when they encountered 38-year-old Tristin Terrel Williams near Midtown, in Houston, at about 1 a.m., Feb. 16, police said in an Oct. 21 news release.

According to police, Williams was breaking into a vehicle belonging to someone in the group, so they confronted him. Williams shot two, police say, wounding one and killing Comeaux.

McClatchy News reached out to an attorney representing Williams but didn’t immediately receive a response.

Comeaux was a Navy recruit, KTRK reported.

A witness told police Comeaux jumped on Williams’ back, and he turned and fatally shot Comeaux, Harris County court records say.

Williams fled the scene, but investigators collected a Croc sandal as evidence, and a DNA swab led to a match on CODIS — a nationwide law enforcement DNA database, according to records. Williams was arrested on a charge of murder, police say. His bond is set at $200,000.

Records show Williams has been arrested four times in Harris County on vehicle burglary charges since 2008, and most recently in 2018. He was found guilty in two of those cases, records show.

This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 9:54 AM.