Two Texas men have been arrested after an attempt to steal another man's truck ended in murder, according to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office.
Tommy Joe Krumm and Mark Allen Groom have both been arrested and charged with first-degree murder of Tyler Waldrop. Krumm and Groom were initially trying to steal Waldrop's truck before killing him, investigators say.
On March 4 around 7:30 a.m., a friend of Waldrop found him dead in his camper trailer after he didn't show up for work.
Waldrop, 22, lived on the 1400 block of County Road 904 in Joshua. This is about 30 minutes southwest of Fort Worth and 15 minutes northeast of Cleburne Regional Airport.
Once deputies from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office were notified and arrived to the scene, officials say Waldrop was "the victim of a violent murder."
Deputies said Waldrop had been stabbed multiple times and had cuts on his face and neck.
The Texas Rangers have also been helping with the investigation and interviewing possible witnesses.
Investigators determined Waldrop died either late on March 3 or early in the morning on March 4. They also determined a person of interest and later elevated him to a suspect when evidence placed him in the area around the time of the murder.
The suspect was identified as Krumm, a 22-year-old from Burleson, Texas. Investigators from the STOP Special Crimes Unit found him around 4:30 p.m. on March 10 and arrested him on a Johnson County warrant for a probation violation for possession of a controlled substance.
Officials transported Krum to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office for questioning while his car was impounded for evidence processing.
Krumm initially denied any involvement with the murder, but officials say he eventually confessed and implicated Groom, a 22-year-old from Joshua, in the crime as well.
Officials obtained a warrant for Groom and arrested him on March 11 around 9:30 p.m. After being taken to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Groom also gave a full confession.
The investigation revealed the two suspects knew the victim and were initially planning to steal Waldrop’s truck. The theft did not go as planned and ended with the murder of Waldrop, officials say.
Krumm was booked into the Johnson County Jail on the probation violation and officials added the charge of first-degree murder on March 12.
Krumm’s bond for first-degree murder was set at $1 million. Groom's bond for first-degree murder was also set at $1 million. Both men are currently in the custody of the Johnson County Jail.
