Inset: Anthony Cerda (Houston police). Background: Convenience store in the 7800 block of Canal Street in Houston, Texas (KTRK).
Authorities in Texas say a 34-year-old man forced his way into a 90-year-old store owner’s home by removing a window air-conditioning unit, then repeatedly stabbed the elderly man with a screwdriver.
Anthony Cerda has been charged with capital murder in the death of Francisco Chura, according to Houston police. Officers were called to the 7800 block of Canal Street at about 9 a.m. on Aug. 20, 2025, after reports of a stabbing at Cerda’s residence. Chura was taken to a hospital by paramedics and later died there on Sept. 7, 2025.
A probable cause affidavit states that the attack happened inside Chura’s home, which was connected to the convenience store he had owned for many years. Investigators say Chura was asleep when Cerda allegedly climbed on top of him, struck him multiple times, and stabbed him with a screwdriver. Police documented several small circular puncture wounds and found the victim’s bedsheets covered in blood.
Detectives also reported finding a safe standing open and empty, a detail that suggested robbery may have been the motive. A bent screwdriver with blood on it was recovered at the scene.
Before his death, Chura told investigators he pretended to be dead until the attacker fled. He said he then hid in a bathroom until daylight before running to a neighbor’s home for help. Chura also reported that about $3,000 in cash had been taken from his safe and described the suspect as a man with long hair.
Roughly two months after the assault, detectives spotted a long-haired man hiding in a crawl space at a house near the crime scene, according to the affidavit. Police said he appeared to be trying to avoid detection. The homeowner identified him as her nephew, Cerda, and told investigators he would occasionally stay there when he needed somewhere to live.
She said Cerda would often go inside the store and Chura would sometimes loan him money. He was in the store a day or so before the homicide, per cops. She called Chura’s death “such a sad story” and told police that they needed to “get to the bottom of it.”
Cerda told detectives he did not kill Chura and said he never had been inside the store.
Detectives spoke with another witness who said he went to the store on the night before the slaying but the door was locked. Chura let him inside and recounted how he gave money to a man who then returned a second time and demanded more cash. Chura refused and “kicked him out.” The witness asked who the man was but Chura declined to tell him.
In January 2026, cops interviewed a man who spoke with Cerda after the alleged murder. He said they were hanging out and getting high together when Cerda allegedly stated “I killed Pancho,” which is Chura’s nickname.
The big break in the case came when DNA results came back earlier this month. A lab determined the screwdriver had DNA from two people: Chura and Cerda.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for Cerda on Friday. He was already in the Harris County Jail on an unrelated charge. He is slated to appear in court on Monday.
A neighbor told local ABC affiliate KTRK that Chura was well known in the neighborhood and often helped people in need.
“Everybody grew up with him,” the neighbor said. “Everybody was surprised when that happened.”
