A 19-year-old Mexican citizen has been charged with capital murder in the death of an elderly Houston woman, police say.

Marco Cobos reportedly confessed to stabbing Etta Nugent, 75, in her own home after soliciting her for mechanical assistance for a stolen truck in which he had been sleeping in nearby.

“Cobos told police he was having issues with his vehicle and asked the woman to help him,” ABC 13 reports. “Police said that Cobos then forced his way into Nugent’s home sometime Sunday night and stabbed her several times when she told him she couldn’t help.”

Police believe Cobos spent hours in Mrs. Nugent’s home, using her credit card to pay his cell phone bill and driving her Honda Accord to nearby stores to purchase a new car battery and food, which he consumed back at her house.



UPDATE: This is the booking photo of the suspect, Marco Cobos, 19, now charged with capital murder in this case. #hounews pic.twitter.com/dkd9a0A2DV — Houston Police (@houstonpolice) May 22, 2019

Mrs. Nugent’s husband is reportedly recovering from an illness at an assisted living facility and was not home at the time of the attack.

Neighbors called Mrs. Nugent and her husband “pillars of the community” who were dedicated to their local church.

“A gentle soul, good Christian woman,” said Sharon Shanahan, who brought chicken noodle soup to the Nugent home just hours before the killing. “Always will do whatever for the neighborhood.”



A gang of Somali men attacked a crowd at a Minnesota train station with hammers.

Dan Lyman: Follow @CitizenAnalyst