Father allegedly washed away blood after murdering son before ‘cremating’ body

On By Littum

Sabine County – A father is accused of using a water hose to clean away blood after killing his son before ‘cremating’ the body at the family’s weekend lake home near Toledo Bend, according to the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney revealed the details at a news conference Thursday at the Sabine County Courthouse.

68-year-old Michael C. Howard is charged with murder and tampering with evidence. He has a total bond of $20 million, $10 million for each charge.

Lead investigator JP MacDonough says Howard claims he mistook his 20-year-old son for an intruder when he fired a 12-gauge shotgun at him Sunday night. They were alone at the lake house on Mt. Sinai Road, off FM 3515 and east of Highway 87. His wife and other children remained in Houston.

MacDonough says there is evidence Howard used a water hose to wash away the blood.

He called a deputy 17 hours later, on Monday, to report that he had killed his son and ‘cremated’ the body in an incinerator. MacDonough says Howard told investigators he loaded the body onto the front-loading bucket of a backhoe tractor and drove it to a remote area of ​​his property, placed the body on a wood/trash pile and ‘cremated’ his son.

Investigators found a jawbone with teeth and other charred remains and sent them to a medical examiner’s office.

“It’s a bizarre crime,” MacDonough said. “He burned the body and cleaned up the crime scene. I’d call it malicious intent.”

Howard had called the Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 29 to report the theft of a Kubota lawn mower and trailer.

A deputy responded and that same deputy received a call from Howard on his cell phone Monday reporting the killing and ‘cremation.’

MacDonough says 20-year-old son Mark had Down syndrome but was well-functioning and had a job.

Howard owns several tracts of land. The property where the lake residence is located covers 2,533 acres.

District Attorney Paul Robbins says they have not decided whether to pursue capital murder charges.

He expects to take the case before a grand jury early next year.

Howard is a practicing attorney with an office in the Heights section of Houston.