Career criminal accused of killing elderly woman in violent home invasion after skipping court days earlier

A Texas man with three prior convictions is back behind bars after allegedly gunning down an elderly woman during a home invasion earlier this week, just days after authorities signed a warrant for his arrest after reportedly failing to appear in court. 

Richard Mouton, 34, and Tajuana Thomas, 38, are charged with capital murder after allegedly shooting a 72-year-old woman to death at her home in Houston’s Kashmere Gardens neighborhood on Monday, the Houston Police Department said in a statement. 

The identity of the victim has not yet been released by authorities. 

Witnesses told authorities that Thomas had been angry with the victim after she previously refused to bail Thomas out of jail, while adding the two “argued about it all the time,” Click2Houston reported.

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The incident unfolded around 1:50 a.m. on Monday, when both masked suspects allegedly entered through an unlocked backdoor of the victim’s residence – where Thomas previously lived – and found the victim asleep on a couch, according to the outlet. 

The pair reportedly demanded jewelry from the victim and pointed an AR-style rifle at her, leading to a shootout between both suspects and the 72-year-old woman. 

The victim shot Thomas in the hip and Mouton in the face with a revolver, before being killed by gunfire, the outlet reported.

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Both suspects were subsequently transported to a local hospital, while the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to authorities. 

The alleged deadly home invasion is reportedly not the first time either suspect has had a run-in with the law. 

At the time of the shooting, Thomas was out on bond stemming from a misdemeanor terroristic threat charge, Click2Houston reported.

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Court records reportedly show in 2022, a victim told authorities that Thomas had been fired from her job before returning to her former place of employment and telling the victim she was going to “beat his a–.” 

Meanwhile, Mouton was handed down a 60-day jail sentence in 2023 after being convicted of felony evading arrest while he was out on parole, according to FOX 26. 

Mouton’s parole later ended in 2024, Click2Houston reported.

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In July 2025, Mouton was reportedly arrested and charged with felon in possession of a weapon, evading arrest and drug possession. 

Court records reportedly indicate he allegedly ran 1,500 feet from a traffic stop while carrying more than 100 grams of marijuana, nearly 12 grams of Xanax, 5 grams of ecstasy, 3.4 grams of cocaine, over 24 grams of methamphetamine and a firearm. 

While Mouton had been out on bond since about a week after his arrest, records show he failed to appear in court on Jan. 22, the outlet reported. 

His failure to appear reportedly resulted in authorities issuing a warrant for his arrest just two days before the alleged deadly home invasion.

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“It’s always disturbing that you could be on parole, get a felony conviction, and still be on parole and not have your parole revoked,” Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers told FOX 26.

The Harris County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s comment regarding both Mouton and Thomas’ previous parole decisions prior to the alleged murder.