RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — Richland Hills police held a new conference Wednesday to share new details about the investigation into a grandfather arrested in the New Year's Day fatal stabbing of his 8-year-old grandson.
Richland Hills Police Chief Kim Sylvester said she hopes to hand over the case to the district attorney by the end of the week.
The family of 8-year-old Brenym McDonald shared photos of him with the police department, as the chief shared an update on the arrest of 62-year-old Philip Hughes.
Sylvester has been mindful of the impact the case is having not only on the boy's family but also on the community, and even her officers.
"Police officers are human," Sylvester said. "Many even have children that are Brenym's age."
Although the police department is still working to determine a motive, Sylvester shared some of the things she's learned about Brenym after meeting with his mother.
"What a wonderful young man he was. He loved to draw and sketch and had been given a lot of sketching books for Christmas," said Sylvester.
A family member called 911 on New Year's Day morning after finding Brenym unresponsive in his bedroom. Officers learned the 8-year-old had been stabbed to death. A sharp object was located near his body, police said.
Then, later that same morning, Ring doorbell video captured the moment an officer arrested Brenym's grandfather, Hughes, at a nearby middle school. Hughes got the attention of the officer as he drove by, according to Sylvester.
"He happened to be driving down that road on the way to that area when he was flagged down by the suspect," said Sylvester.
Hughes cooperated with the officer during his arrest. Eventually, he was taken to a Tarrant County corrections facility for capital murder. His bond is set at $ 2 million.
Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells will determine the final charges in the case.