Man wanted, charged in fatal shooting of mother of three

Jerald Dewayne Watt Jerald Dewayne Watt Photo: John D. Harden, Houston Chronicle Photo: John D. Harden, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Man wanted, charged in fatal shooting of mother of three 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

Houston Police Department officers are searching for a man charged in the fatal shooting of a mother of three whose body was discovered Thursday night.

Police say Jerald Dewayne Watt, 40, who was charged in the slaying, was the common-law husband of the victim, Rena Marie Hodges, 35.

Hodges was found dead in her bedroom, according to Houston Police Department officers. Her body was found at about 9 p.m. in the 6000 block of Peacock Hills Drive in southwest Houston near Westbury.

According to a police report, she suffered at least one gunshot wound.

HPD homicide detective Sgt. Kenneth Daignault said a concerned family member went to the victim's home after not hearing from her for a couple of days. That's when a security guard on the property entered the victim's home with a key and found her body upstairs in a bedroom.

Daignault said there were no signs of forced entry.

The detective said the Hodges had three children. The children were staying with a relative at the time their mother's body was found. Court documents show the suspect was not the biological father of the three children.

Police are now interviewing family members to piece together the moments leading up to the mother's death.

Police said Watt could be driving in two vehicles: a 2002 blue Ford Explorer with Texas license plates FJW-9847 or a 2010 white Nissan Versa with Texas handicapped license plates.

Police asks anyone with information Watt's whereabouts to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.