LA MARQUE, Texas – A 14-year-old runaway has been charged in the brutal murder of an elderly La Marque woman, the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
The body of Vaneeda Wright, 84, was found in her home in the 1000 block of Prune Street on Sunday. Investigators believe she was stabbed to death, and that she knew her attacker.
Police said when Wright didn’t answer her phone on Sunday, a relative went to check on her and discovered the body. Parts of her home were ransacked.
"We don’t know what might have been stolen. The (victim’s) family is checking on that," said La Marque police Sgt. Shawn Spruill.
Charges were filed against the teen on Tuesday.
The DA’s office said they were considering certifying the teen to stand trial as an adult.
They said he is a "local" teenager, but they didn’t give any other details about his identity or any possible relationship with the victim.
However, a neighbor told KHOU 11 News that the boy used to live across the street from Wright, and witnesses told police they saw him in the area right before she was killed.
One neighbor even said Wright had hired the boy to do odd jobs for her in the past.
"She let him do a little stuff in the yard to make him a little money. I can’t imagine what went wrong," Darnell Black said.
Prosecutors said the boy’s parents had filed a report with authorities last week after he ran away from home.
The DA’s office said the teen was already in custody as a runaway when he was charged with murder.
Meanwhile, neighbors were struggling Tuesday to cope with the loss of a well-known resident.
They said Wright had lived in the home since 1952 and had watched the neighborhood grow.
‘She was a rock. I tell you right now, she was the most dedicated woman I know. She would help you out in a New York minute. She was that type of person," Wright’s next-door neighbor, Charles Dougherty, told The Galveston County Daily News. "She was always doing something for somebody. If she saw the kids out playing, she would take them a Coke or a drink or an apple. She was an outgoing, giving person."
"I still can’t believe what happened. It’s like a dream. Who would think that? And him and her?" Black said.
Robby Magee, Senior Pastor at Highlands Baptist Church, where Wright was a member, said she would be remembered for her kind heart.
"The Highlands Baptist Church family was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Vaneeda Wright on Sunday, May 29th. Ms. Wright joined our church in 1974 and has been a tremendous part of our congregation. She will be remembered for her love of family and compassion for those who are less fortunate in our world. The Highlands Baptist Church family extends our deepest sympathy to her family in this time of great loss," Magee said.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call La Marque police at 409-938-9269 or La Marque Crime Stoppers at 409-938-8477.
