25-year-old man charged with murder following 'execution-style' death of father Christopher White turned himself in to authorities after emailing Houston Chronicle reporter

He is accused of shooting his father in the head and then fleeing from police. He turned himself in to authorities on Thursday. He is accused of shooting his father in the head and then fleeing from police. He turned himself in to authorities on Thursday. Photo: Houston Police Department Photo: Houston Police Department Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close 25-year-old man charged with murder following 'execution-style' death of father 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A 25-year-old man turned himself in to police officers two days after they said he fatally shot his father on Christmas Eve during an argument at his southeast Houston apartment in front of his common-law wife and two children.

Christopher James White was charged Friday with murder, which had been upgraded from aggravated assault on a family member, after prosecutors said the 25-year-old allegedly shot his father in the head with a pistol following an argument over his alleged abuse of his wife, according to a charging document filed in Harris County's 179th District Court.

The slaying took place on Christmas Eve around 11:25 a.m. in the 8900 block of Glencrest Street where Christopher White lives with his father James White, Christopher White's wife and their two children. According to prosecutors, the argument began after James White threatened his son "because he did not like the way (he) was talking" to his wife. When she threatened to call police, Christopher White pulled out a knife and his father went to his bedroom to retrieve his gun, they said.

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That's when things escalated, and Christopher White is said to have charged his father in a fight over the firearm while his wife "was screaming for them to stop."

According to court documents, James White was on his knees while his son was standing over him. Christopher White is said to have killed his father "execution-style" when he allegedly fired a shot that struck his father in the head, prosecutors said. He later fled after his wife said she would call the police, they said. His father was taken to an area hospital where he died on Christmas Day, according to Houston police.

In an email to a Houston Chronicle reporter shortly before he turned himself in, Christopher James White said he "only acted out of self-defense" when his father pointed the gun in his direction multiple times while his kids stood behind him.

"i love my daddy (sic)," Christopher White said. "he is all i have i never wanted none of this... my son is 1 years old his first christmas everything is all messed up... I have been having so many emotions."

Houston Police Homicide Det. W. Huff, who investigated the case, told the Houston Chronicle that suspects like Christopher White often turn themselves in after they've had time to reflect on their actions. He discounted the man's claim, however, stating that Christopher White had a criminal history against both his father, whom he is convicted of stabbing in 2012 and his wife, whom he is alleged to have assaulted earlier this year.

HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Each time a life is lost because of domestic violence, I feel like a victim again [Opinion]

Christopher White was sentenced to two years of probation in 2013 after he pled guilty to a lesser charge for stabbing his father four times with a pocket knife, according to court documents. But he violated the terms of his probation when his urine sample tested positive for marijuana and when he failed to participate in court-ordered treatment programs, records show. He later pled guilty on the same case to a misdemeanor charge where he then served 150 days in county jail.

He is currently behind bars on a $250,000 bond for his murder case.

In May, he was charged with assault for allegedly punching his wife and telling her, "you going to die today" and in June, prosecutors charged him again with assault after he allegedly strangled her.

Those cases are active and still pending in Harris County.

"Domestic violence is a driver of our murder in Harris County," said Michael Kolenc, a Harris County District Attorney's Office spokesman.

In another case on Christmas Eve involving domestic violence, a woman was gunned down at her own birthday party by man officials said was her ex-boyfriend. He was charged with murder and remains at large.

READ ALSO: Sheriff: Ex-boyfriend walks into woman's birthday party on Christmas Eve, fatally shoots her

Michelle Iracheta is a digital reporter in Houston. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | michelle.iracheta@chron.com