90-year-old killed after man allegedly broke into his home, stabbed him in the stomach with screwdriver

HOUSTON (TCN) -- A 34-year-old man has been arrested and charged with capital murder in connection with a fatal assault in August 2025.

The Houston Police Department announced the charges against Anthony Cerda on June 12. On the morning of Aug. 20, 2025, police responded to a residence after receiving a 911 call reporting an assault. Inside, responding officers found 90-year-old Francisco Chura suffering from blunt force trauma wounds. 

Chura died from his injuries on Sept. 7, 2025, according to police. Cerda was identified as a suspect and arrested on June 12. KTRK reports that he was identified as the suspect via an anonymous tip.

Court documents obtained by KTRK allege Cerda broke into Chura’s home by removing an air-conditioning unit from a back window. The home was next to a convenience store he owned. Law & Crime reports that Cerda would often go to the convenience store and Chura reportedly loaned him money on occasion.

After gaining access to the home, Cerda allegedly punched and stabbed Chura multiple times with a screwdriver. According to KTRK, Chura told police he played dead until the attacker left and then went to a neighbor for help the next morning. He also said $3,000 was missing from his safe.

Two months after the attack, Cerda was arrested when he was found hiding in the crawlspace of his aunt’s home. According to her, Cerda was homeless and she had let him stay with her, KTRK reports. During a police interview, he allegedly said he knew Chura, and later, Cerda’s DNA was found on the screwdriver recovered at the scene.

Investigators learned Cerda allegedly went into the convenience store to ask for money the day before Chura was killed, Law & Crime reports. Chura gave him the money, and then when Cerda allegedly returned a second time for more money, Chura reportedly kicked him out of the store.

Investigators also spoke to a witness who alleged that Cerda confessed to killing Chura during a conversation in January.

Per Law & Crime, when Cerda was arrested in connection with the death of Chura, he was already in jail on an unrelated charge.

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