A driver on Loop 820 in Fort Worth became enraged when a 70-year-old grandmother was driving too slowly in the left lane and braked as he pulled up behind her, according to the suspect’s arrest warrant released Wednesday.
The woman, Julia Gregor of Benbrook, then flipped him off as he tried to pass, and the situation escalated, the warrant said.
The suspect, Jeffery Watson, was arrested Tuesday on a murder charge and is jailed on $250,000 bond.
According to the warrant, an anonymous tipster gave police Watson’s name and he later confessed when questioned by homicide detectives.
Watson, 34, said he and his cousin were traveling to a job on Cherry Lane when they encountered the victim driving slowly in the fast lane near 2900 West Loop 820 South.
“When he got behind her, she hit her brakes,” a detective wrote in the warrant. “This upset him and as he drove past her, she flipped him off and he cut in front of her and slammed on his brakes bringing both vehicles to a stop in the fast lane of the freeway.”
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Watson told investigators he tried to shoot out her tires and didn’t realize he had shot her until he saw a story on the news about the murder, police said.
Watson asked his cousin to hide his pistol in an attic, and detectives found it there when they later searched his house, the warrant said.
It was not clear if the cousin faces any charges, but according to the warrant he is cooperating with the investigation.
