Second suspect charged with murder in case involving body found in Waco’s Cameron Park
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Authorities in Central Texas arrested Armando Casiano, 39, a second suspect charged with murder in the killing of Lee Murrow, 32, whose body was found along the Brazos River in Waco on May 17.
Police in Bellmead, Texas had previously arrested Kimisha Denise Mathis, 39, who is also charged with murder in the death of Murrow.
The discovery of the body was made just north of Jacob’s Ladder, a popular destination in Cameron Park, which is located at 2601 N University Parks Drive. Police say they were called to the scene at about at 8:15 a.m. that morning after the body was found in the river. The body was later identified as that of Murrow, who had been reported missing with the Bellmead Police Department.
According to a criminal complaint affidavit, Mathis admitted to communicating with the victim on May 14 in an effort to “lure him out of his home.”
Mathis’ boyfriend, identified in a criminal complaint as Casiano, was hiding in the trunk of a car armed with a handgun, police wrote in the complaint. Once the victim was inside the car, a “physical altercation” involving Murrow and the armed Casiano ensued.
Casiano fatally shot the victim during the altercation, police allege. Mathis, according to the affidavit, “knew that (Casiano) was armed with the handgun and intended to assault the victim once in the vehicle.”
Mathis and Casiano discarded Murrow’s body, and a few days later, returned to the area, placed the victim’s body in the trunk of a vehicle, then drove to Waco where they discarded the body at Cameron Park, the affidavit alleges.
A search warrant states Murrow’s body had been in the Brazos River for several days when it was discovered. The body had “what appeared to be a bullet entry wound in his upper left chest region,” the document states.
Investigators later found Murrow’s clothing in a field near the 4400 block of Pecan Lane in Bellmead, Texas. “Along with these items, there appeared to be drag marks exiting the field,” the document further states, “It is believed that Murrow was murdered in the field off of Pecan (Lane) in Bellmead, Texas and then transported in a dark red Hyundai Elantra into Waco before being placed into the Brazos River.”
Mathis was arrested on June 14 and remains jailed on an $800,000 bond. Casiano was arrested on July 1 and is being held on a $1-million bond.
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According to KWTX archives, in December 2023, Murrow was indicted by a grand jury on manslaughter and aggravated assault charges in the May 18, 2023 death of an 81-year-old woman after colliding with their car.
Criminal complaints state Murrow was driving 116 mph in the 1000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Waco when he collided with the woman’s vehicle. The woman’s grandson was also injured in the wreck.
Investigators seized the airbag control module from Murrow’s BMW, which showed Murrow was driving 116 mph about five seconds before the crash, according to arrest documents.
Court records show Murrow was convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity in Falls County in 2010.
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