Father Arrested in Murder of Lesbian Daughter and Partner
A Houston, Texas, man arrested Thursday in connection with the killing of his is a registered sex offender who was living with the women after being released from prison last October, Capt. Barry Cook of the Galveston County Sheriff鈥檚 office told Hatewatch today.
The father, James Larry Cosby, did not approve of his daughter鈥檚 relationship but told investigators that 鈥渉e was learning to accept it,鈥� Cook said.
Cosby, 48, has been charged with two counts of tampering with evidence and is being held on $500,000 bond. Cook said that 鈥渨e hope鈥� to increase the charges to capital murder as more evidence is gathered.
鈥淲e found blood at the house鈥� and other evidence, he said.
The women鈥檚 bodies were discovered by a beer salesman on March 7 near a trash Dumpster behind a convenience store in Port Bolivar, just outside Houston. But Cook said investigators believe they were killed at the home they shared with Cosby in Houston and then dumped outside the store.
The suspect鈥檚 daughter, Britney Cosby, was bludgeoned to death. Her partner, Crystal Jackson, who was also 24, was shot once.
Whether the women were victims of a twisted homophobic honor killing, Cook could not say. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what the motive was,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e didn鈥檛 admit to the murders. So we don鈥檛 know what drove him to do that. It could have been an argument over anything.鈥�
Cosby was convicted of the sexual assault of a 22-year-old and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1994, Cook said. He was released in 2004 but violated rules required by his sex-offender status and was sent back to prison in 2012. He was released last October and moved into the house with his daughter and her grandmother.
鈥淗e was basically living in the living room that was changed into a bedroom for him,鈥� the captain said.
Before he was arrested and charged in his daughter鈥檚 slaying, Cosby spoke at an emotional vigil for the women at a local funeral home Wednesday night.
鈥�,鈥� he said, according to a local television station.
Another vigil attendee said, according to the station, that Britney was devoted to her grandmother and 鈥渨ould help anybody.鈥� 鈥淚f she don鈥檛 know you, she would have helped you,鈥� the mourner said. 鈥淗er grandma was her life. Church, grandma and work.鈥�
When the vigil was over, sheriff鈥檚 investigators stepped in and asked the father to go the station to answer a few questions. 鈥淲e waited because we didn鈥檛 want to interfere with the vigil,鈥� Cook said.
After several hours of questioning, Cosby was arrested and charged around 5 AM Thursday.
The funerals for the murdered women, who had been together for two years, will be separate and are scheduled for Saturday.
