Fort Worth

Motive Remains Elusive in Fort Worth Double Murder

Teacher accused of gunning down two neighbors

Police say they know who fatally shot two men outside their home in South Fort Worth early Sunday morning, but the question why remains a mystery.

Daniel Haros and Phillip Evans stopped by a neighbor's Halloween party and briefly chatted with Cary Heath, who lived a few doors down, police said.

According to an arrest warrant, the conversation was "friendly and cordial."

But for some reason, Heath – a teacher, Air Force veteran and father of four – later got an assault rifle and shot both men, police said.

He later told his wife he had just "killed two people" and asked her to clean the blood in his gun safe, police said. He also said he would never see his one-year-old child again.

"There's no explanation for it," said Kevin Morgan, a longtime friend of the victims. "I believe they did nothing. They did nothing. Did the guy just flip out? That's what the question is. That's what we want to know."

James Beaver, the manager of Dalton's Corner, a Burleson bar where the two victims often hung out, said the two men had no enemies.

"It was horrific," Beaver said. "You couldn't think of two guys who deserved this any less."

Sgt. Marc Povero, a Fort Worth police spokesman, said detectives were still investigating a possible motive.

On Monday, Heath, 35, was arrested on a capital murder charge at Permenter Middle School in Cedar Hill, where he is employed as a teacher.

Heath was booked on a $1 million bond. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney; jail records do not list an attorney for Heath.

A spokesperson for the Cedar Hill Independent School District said Heath has been placed on administrative leave.

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