HOUSTON — A father has been accused of fatally shooting his adult son, who had Down syndrome, at their residence in East Texas. The incident, described by authorities as a “bizarre crime,” occurred when the father claimed he mistook his son for an intruder, and he subsequently attempted to conceal the crime by burning the victim’s body.
Michael C. Howard, a 68-year-old attorney from Houston, stated to investigators that he was present at his home in Sabine County on Sunday evening when he accidentally shot his 20-year-old son, Mark Randall Howard, with a shotgun. This information was disclosed by Deputy J.P. MacDonough from the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office during a news briefing.
Howard did not report the shooting to the sheriff’s office until Monday afternoon, approximately 17 hours after the incident occurred. During this time, he used a tractor backhoe to transport his son’s remains around two miles away, where he placed the body on a wood trash pile before “cremating” it, according to MacDonough. The father and son had arrived at the Sabine County home, located around 170 miles northeast of Houston, earlier in the week, either on Thursday or Friday, according to police records.
Authorities later recovered human remains, including body parts and bones, from the trash pile and sent them to the medical examiner’s office in Jefferson County for further examination.
During the investigation, Howard expressed that the situation was an “horrible accident.” He mentioned that he cremated his son in a manner he believed would have aligned with his son’s wishes. MacDonough remarked that the nature of the crime is unusual, stating, “Mr. Howard committed this act and further compounded it by burning the body and cleaning the crime scene,” which could suggest intent to hide the act.
The victim, Mark, was noted to have Down syndrome but was considered a high-functioning individual with a job. Just two days prior to the tragic shooting, local authorities had responded to a call made by Howard, in which he reported the theft of several items, including a large mower and trailer. MacDonough did not clarify whether these thefts contributed to Howard mistaking his son for an intruder.
Currently, Michael C. Howard is being held in Sabine County with bonds set at $20 million after facing charges of murder and tampering with evidence. Authorities have indicated that more charges could be forthcoming. It remains unclear whether Howard has legal representation to advocate on his behalf.
