HOUSTON — A man accused of killing his mother-in-law, and possibly setting his house on fire while his two kids were inside the home, made his first court appearance on Wednesday morning.
Xavier Jawin Howard, 34, is charged with murder in connection with the strangling death of 54-year-old Tammy Mouton on Jan. 7.
On that day, fire crews were called out to a fire on Trementina Drive just after 5 a.m.
In court, prosecutors said firefighters discovered Mouton’s body face-up on the floor inside the home with injuries that were not consistent with the house fire.
Investigators said they determined the fire was intentionally set in a room near the front of the home and Mouton had blunt force trauma injuries to her head, according to authorities.
The medical examiner said she was strangled before the fire.
“She said that she found no evidence of soot in the victim’s lungs indicating that the victim was dead before the house fire occurred,” she.
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Prosecutors said home surveillance cameras and Howard’s cell phone records place him at the home at the time of the fire.
“At 5:01 a.m., the surveillance video shows what appears to be a fire emitting from the east side of the home," an attorney said in court. "Seconds later, the same individual emerged from the east side of the home.”
Prosecutors said Howard returned to the home minutes later and pulled his two kids out of the burning home.
“The defendant said that he tried but was not able to recover his mother-in-law who was the victim,” the prosecutor said.
Both children suffered smoke inhalation but have been released from the hospital.
A judge set Howard’s bond on the murder charge at $2 million.
During court, a $50,000 bond was also set in relation to a charge of escape causing bodily injury in the process. The district attorney’s office said when deputies were trying to transfer Howard to the jail, he broke away from the deputy and ran across the street, but he was caught moments later. A deputy suffered minor injuries but is OK.
Editor's Note: The video below was uploaded the day of the fire