A Texas lawyer was arrested after he allegedly fatally shot his son with Down Syndrome and burned his remains, claiming that he believed his son was an intruder at the time of the incident.
The Sabine County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Michael C. Howard was at a lake house for several hours with his son, Mark Howard, when the shooting “accidentally” occurred in December 2024.
Local prosecutors said that Michael’s case was transferred to the Texas Attorney General’s Office after a motion was filed by San Augustine County District Attorney Paul Robbins in which he asked to recuse his office, according to a report from KTRE on Monday, November 2. The motion was filed after the Attorney General’s office issued an opinion that said local prosecutors’ staff could become necessary trial witnesses in the case.
District Judge Jim Payne has since signed an order transferring the case.
The development in the case took place nearly two years after Michael, 68, allegedly killed Mark. Police claimed that Michael called the DA’s office on the same day of the alleged murder and spoke in detail about the incident with its chief investigator.
Mark was on his dad’s property in Sabine County when Michael allegedly mistook him for an intruder and shot him. (Both Sabine and San Augustine counties share the same DA’s office).
“On December 2, 2024, a Deputy from the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office was contacted via public service by Michael C Howard,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release shared at the time of the incident. “Howard advised [to police] that he had ‘accidentally’ shot his own son.”
Michael went on to allegedly confess that he took his son’s body after the shooting and “placed it in the front-loading bucket of a backhoe tractor and carried it to a remote area on his property.” He then allegedly cremated the remains.
“[Michael Howard] placed the body on a wood/trash pile, which had been previously set up and then ‘cremated’ his son,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that Michael claimed to authorities that the shooting was a “horrible accident.”
Investigators then executed a search warrant and found Mark’s remains.
“All bones appeared to have been burned based on charring and the area they were found in, was heavy with soot and ash,” the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
Michael was arrested in December 2024 and was charged with murder and tampering with evidence. He is currently out of jail after he posted a $1 million bond.
It was not immediately clear if Michael has entered a plea, and trial date has not yet been set.
