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Left: Benjamin Frakes (Harris County Constable Precinct 4). Right: Harris County police officers arresting Frakes (Harris County Constable Precinct 4).
Texas authorities have arrested a man for allegedly gunning down his father and stepmother, with police finding him inside of a Houston-area poker club.
Deputies with Harris County Constable Precinct 4 say they received a tip on Tuesday that Benjamin Frakes was at the Dog House Poker Club. Frakes, 39, was a wanted suspect in the murders of his father, Franklin Frakes, 72, and his stepmother, Florentina Frakes, 56, at their home in Spring, Texas. Both victims were shot multiple times, deputies said, and a handgun was recovered from the scene.
Benjamin Frakes was charged with two counts of capital murder. After his arrest on Tuesday, law enforcement searched his vehicle and said they found a “sizable” amount of cocaine, Xanax, Oxycodone, “and other unknown substances.” The vehicle search, which K-9 units participated in, also uncovered two guns, Harris County authorities noted.
The bodies of Franklin and Florentina Frakes were found on Friday evening after a neighbor went to check on the couple. The same neighbor told investigators that they heard gunshots the previous night, according to local outlet KTRK.
Precinct 4 deputies believe Benjamin Frakes broke into the victims’ home last Thursday and that he and his father, Franklin Frakes, fought with each other, leading to Benjamin Frakes getting injured.
One neighbor, Joshua Griffin, reportedly saw the married couple alive just hours before. “They were out there watering their plants. Quiet night — that’s all it was. Nothing out of the ordinary,” Griffin said, according to KHOU.
The couple’s black Mercedes SUV is still missing, according to law enforcement.
