27-year-old Kenneth Owens Jr was arrested for murdering his 78-year-old grandmother, Yong Dennerly inside her home.
On July 22, Austin police received a call from a woman asking if they could perform a welfare check at her residence.
The woman was not home but could see some sort of disturbance with a camera inside her house. Police went to the home in the 4800 block of Turnstone Drive but didn’t hear anything.
Around 9:51 p.m. the woman called a second time claiming she thought Owens did something to the woman after hearing screaming and cursing on the camera. The woman which is the victim’s daughter gave police permission to break into the home.
Once officials entered the home, they found the victim unresponsive on the floor with blunt force trauma to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators made note of blood splatter on the walls leading to her bedroom. They also observed brain matter from the blunt force trauma to the head and a pool of blood surrounding her head.
According to police, Owens fled the scene with Dennerly’s car. A unit with the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force found and arrested Owens in Southeast Austin. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.
Investigators ruled the murder a homicide. APD says this is the 42nd homicide case being investigated in Austin, Texas.
