A 90-year-old Navy veteran was brutally murdered in front of his apartment on Saturday by a carjacker who first shot the man, then stole his vehicle and ran him over with it.
Police have not yet identified the suspect, though the victim’s vehicle was later discovered abandoned several miles away at a different apartment complex. Law enforcement is currently investigating and a manhunt is underway for the carjacker.
This is 90 yo Nelson Beckett. He was killed yesterday during a carjacking. A Navy vet who loved his growing family per his daughter. She says, “He was the kindest, funniest man you’d ever meet. He loved meeting people and greeted them all with jokes. To him, everyone had value. pic.twitter.com/3PuORy3RTF
— Abigail Dye (@AbigailDyeNews) September 1, 2024
According to the Houston Police Department, the carjacking and murder occurred at the Lonestar Senior Living Apartments in the early afternoon on Saturday. The victim has been identified as Navy veteran and former salesman Nelson Beckett, who lived in those apartments for several years.
Police have described the carjacker as a man between the ages of 25 and 35, noting that he appeared to have acted alone. Surveillance footage showed a young man approaching Beckett just before 1 p.m. on Saturday, according to police. The victim and suspect spoke to each other briefly before the carjacker began attacking the elderly man. He then shot the victim, jumped into his vehicle, and ran him over with his own car before fleeing the scene.
Local news station KPRC2 News spoke with family and friends of the victim on Sunday as they attended a church service in honor of Beckett.
Steve Sandifer, who had been friends with Beckett for 47 years, told KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel that the way his friend died was especially disturbing — stating: “I told his daughter, I said, you know, had she called me that morning and said dad didn’t wake up this morning, I would have said, good. He’s lived his 90 years. He’s been a champion of faith and everything else. He’s lived a great life. But to hear that he had been murdered, that was just beyond me.”
Sandifer explained to the reporter that Beckett was a natural caretaker, revealing that the Navy veteran had given neighbors rides to doctor’s appointments and church services. He also noted that Beckett was a widower and had been married to his late wife for 69 years until she passed away.
A statement from Beckett’s daughter, Tami Freund, was published by Fox 26 Houston.
“He served in the Navy, not during an active war. He was the kindest, funniest man you’d ever meet,” the statement read. “He loved meeting people and greeted them all with jokes and his famous business card, which said ‘my card.’ He loved to make someone laugh and brighten their day. To him, everyone had value. He spent his days driving people to places who did not have a car. Driving them to doctors’ appointments, FEMA, rehab, stores, etc., wherever they needed to go. He even would drive some friends from a halfway house to panhandle and take them to church on Sundays. He even baptized several of them. He would do anything for anyone. He told me (his daughter) all the time how lucky we are to have such a big, wonderful, loving, Christian family. He loved big and loved his family so much!”
Police have requested that anyone with information about the carjacking contact Houston Police Department’s homicide unit at 713-308-3600.
