Houston man charged with capital murder in 90-year-old's death

A 90-year-old man was found with multiple blunt force trauma wounds on Canal Street, and nearly 10 months later Houston police say they have made an arrest in the case. For the family of Francisco Chura and for older residents across Eastside Houston, the filing marks the first major move toward accountability in a death that had sat unresolved since late summer 2025.

Houston police announced June 12, 2026, that Anthony Cerda, 34, was booked into the Harris County jail and charged with capital murder in connection with Chura’s death. The charge was filed in the 232nd Criminal Court, and follow-up court records also tied the case to the 232nd District Court. Investigators from the Eastside Division Gang Unit made the arrest after further investigation identified Cerda as a suspect.

Officers responded about 9 a.m. on Aug. 20, 2025, to 7801 Canal Street in Houston’s eastside corridor after the fatal assault was reported. They found Chura, 90, suffering from multiple blunt force trauma wounds. Houston Fire Department paramedics took him to a hospital, where he later died on Sept. 7, 2025.

The case is drawing renewed attention because of the long gap between the attack and the arrest. Chura’s death did not immediately result in a murder filing, and police spent months working the case before announcing the capital murder charge in June 2026. That delay underscores how slowly homicide investigations can move when detectives are trying to reconstruct what happened, identify a suspect and build a case that can hold up in court.

Follow-up reporting says investigators believe a screwdriver was used in the attack and that Chura may have been assaulted in or near Cerda’s residence in the 7800 block of Canal Street. Those details were not included in the city’s initial release, but they help frame how investigators say the violence unfolded in a neighborhood where residents have already seen their share of violent-crime calls. Chura was also described in later reporting as a longtime convenience-store owner, adding to the loss felt by people who knew him.

The city’s announcement left several questions unanswered, including the relationship between Cerda and Chura and whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty. Still, the arrest turns a long-running unsolved fatal assault into an active capital murder case, giving Chura’s family and the eastside community a clearer path into court.