Prosecutor: Man decapitated grandfather with hedge clippers

Justin Wayne Parris,27, sits at the defense table with his attorney, Jerome Godinich, listening to testimony during his murder trial at the Harris County Courthouse Tuesday, June 10, 2014, in Houston. Prosecutors Tuesday said Parris is on trial for the murder of his 81-year-old grandfather, in which he allegedly decapitated him with hedge clippers. Police found Justin Wayne Parris with blood smears on his pants and shirt at the elder man's home in the 900 block of Lamonte on November 6, 2009, according to court records. less Justin Wayne Parris,27, sits at the defense table with his attorney, Jerome Godinich, listening to testimony during his murder trial at the Harris County Courthouse Tuesday, June 10, 2014, in Houston. ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Prosecutor: Man decapitated grandfather with hedge clippers 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Justin Wayne Parris said little to police after his 81-year-old grandfather was found decapitated in their Garden Oaks home in 2009, and a bloody trail led to a long-handled tree pruner in the garage.

The grandfather's body had been covered with a blanket, a gesture Parris would explain on an interrogation video shown Tuesday in court.

"You don't leave somebody like that, " the grandson said.

Whether the 27-year-old killed Johnnie Morales-Gonzales will be up to a Harris County judge as the third day of his trial on a charge of murder resumes Wednesday with the defense putting on their case.

"Our position is that he is not guilty," said Jerome Godnich, an attorney for Parris. Godnich was tight-lipped about his theory of the defense but said he expects to call a family member to testify that Parris is innocent.

For two days, prosecutors glided through testimony from investigators, medical examiners and other witnesses who said Parris's 12-year-old sister came home to find Parris pacing on the front porch about 4 p.m. on Nov. 6, 2009.

She saw her grandfather's body covered in a blanket at the home in the 900 block of Lamonte and called 911.

Police found the grandson with blood smears on his pants and shirt. He had a bandaged finger and a large cut on his forearm.

Asked what happened, he told police, "I don't want to talk about it."

In the garage, investigators found a bloody long-handled branch "lopper" with curved snipping blades that are just a few inches long.

On large screens in the courtroom, prosecutors Tuesday showed grisly photos of the deep cuts on the grandfather's head, fact and chest, allegedly inflicted by the landscaping tool.

"He cut his head off during the course of the murder," said Assistant Harris County District Attorney John Jordan.

Instead of putting the pictures on the screen, prosecutors approached state District Judge Brock Thomas to show even more macabre photos of Gonzales, who was described by the medical examiner as "completely decapitated."

Instead of a jury trial, Parris opted for a judge to determine his fate. If convicted of murder, he faces life in prison.

Since his arrest more than four years ago, Parris has been found to be sane and competent, court records show.