Weekend Murder in Palestine
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
PALESTINE – A weekend altercation among acquaintances left an Elkhart man dead and landed another man in jail for murder.
According to a media release from Palestine Police Department Community Liaison/PIO Michelle Herbert, Palestine police officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of Howard Street on Saturday, Nov. 6 at approximately 11 am in reference to a male subject lying in the middle of the street.
“(Palestine Police) Chief Mark Harcrow arrived on scene and located the victim, identified as Kenneth Armstrong, 31, of Elkhart, lying in the roadway. Armstrong was unresponsive and had an apparent knife wound to the upper torso. EMS was called and the subject was later pronounced deceased on scene by Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace James Todd,” the press release stated.
During the initial stages of the investigation, Police Cpl. Aston Rodriguez arrived at the scene of the homicide. Cpl. Rodriguez located “… a male subject near a residence in the 1000 block of Howard Street. The subject, identified as Ty Hughes, 24, of Palestine, was detained by Corporal Rodriguez. The weapon used was also recovered at the scene.”
As more information was gathered, Hughes was placed under arrest for murder, a first-degree felony. He was transported to the Anderson County jail where his bond was set at $250,000.
Based on witness statements, the suspect and victim were acquaintances and the incident occurred at the suspect’s residence.
“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family in this unfortunate loss,” Chief Harcrow said. “I commend the work of the officers in quickly locating the suspect and conducting a thorough investigation.”
According to Section 12.32 of the Texas Penal Code, “An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for life or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than five years. In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.”
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
