Harris County woman, unborn son killed after suspect’s early release, police say

Houston police say Kevin Faux was free for about 50 days before Ashanti Allen, 23, and her unborn son were killed in southwest Houston, a timeline that has sharpened criticism of Harris County’s handling of repeat domestic violence. Faux, 24, is now charged with murder in the 228th Criminal District Court, and police said he remains at large.

Allen’s body was found around 9 a.m. on April 16 near 11655 Chimney Rock Road, close to Chimney Rock Park and West Belfort. Texas EquuSearch said Allen, who was eight months pregnant with her first child, was considered high-risk. She had been reported missing after last being seen leaving her residence near the 8700 block of Main Street on April 10.

The case is drawing particular scrutiny because Faux had already been through the system. Houston Public Media reported that Faux was convicted in February of assaulting a family member, 23-year-old Ashanti Allen. Other court reporting said he later accepted a plea deal that reduced the charge to a misdemeanor, then received jail credit that allowed his release before the sentence would have expired. His return to the street, and Allen’s killing weeks later, have fed fresh outrage over what the Houston Police Officers’ Union again called a “revolving door” justice system.

Allen’s family has publicly pressed Faux to surrender. Edward Allen and Trisa Gaines Colbert said the family had been weeks away from welcoming a baby and was instead planning a funeral. Their pleas came after Texas EquuSearch ended a days-long search in tragedy, turning a missing-person case into a homicide investigation and a domestic violence case into a double death.

The fatal arc has become a stark test of Harris County’s response to violence against pregnant victims, especially when there is already a documented history of abuse. In this case, the warning signs were not hidden: a prior assault conviction, a recent release, a high-risk pregnancy, and a final search that ended near a Houston park where a young mother and her unborn child were found dead.