Timothy Richard, 26, [REMAINS RECOVERED - TES] Beaumont, TX, 10/28/07

[Audie]

http://www.texasequusearch.org/images_missingpersons/TimothyRichard.jpg

Affidavit points to probable cause in suspected killing
By ROSE YBARRA, The Enterprise
11/08/2007
Updated 11/27/2007 11:06:03 PM CST

Timothy Richard and Xavier Brown worked together at a local scaffolding company for about two weeks last year but they were acquaintances at best, Richard's mother, Debbie, and his common-law wife, Gena Garcia, said Wednesday.

Garcia said Brown never came around their home and he wasn't somebody Timothy Richard hung around with.

"He was very discriminate about the people he hung around because he had a little girl," said Debbie Richard. "You had to be pretty special for him to allow you in his inner circle."

However, Garcia said Timothy Richard, 26, must have felt comfortable enough to meet with Brown alone.

"I only heard his name a few times and it was never nothing bad," Garcia said. "For Tim to go over there by himself, he trusted him."

At about 3 p.m. Oct. 28, Timothy Richard left the Port Arthur home he shared with Garcia. He told her he was going to see Xavier Brown, nicknamed, "X," in Beaumont about some car parts, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

It was the last time Garcia saw her companion of more than three years. Timothy Richard is presumed dead and Brown, 27, is charged with capital murder and sits in the Jefferson County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond.

But Timothy Richard's body has not yet been recovered, leading some to wonder how Brown can be charged with capital murder.

Beaumont Police Officer and spokeswoman Carman Apple said it's rare for murder charges to be filed without a body, but in this case, there is enough evidence to move forward.

"It does not happen that frequently and quite frankly, if we believe a homicide is committed, we do want to locate the victim. But there are times when it's not possible. This is one of those cases."

An informant provided Beaumont police with enough details to arrest Brown in connection with Timothy Richard's disappearance and murder, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Brown admitted to being involved in the abduction, robbery and murder of Timothy Richard, the affidavit said.

At 3:36 p.m. on Oct. 28, Beaumont police received a 911 call from a cell phone belonging to Timothy Richard. The caller acted as if he was talking to friend and revealed that he was being robbed of personal property by a group of individuals and stated that one of the actors was "X."

Debbie Richard later listened to a recording of the phone call and identified the voice on the tape as Timothy Richard's.

On the evening of Oct. 28, Garcia reported Timothy Richard missing to Port Arthur police, who in turn, contacted Beaumont police.

Beaumont officers tracked Brown down and questioned him about Timothy Richard's whereabouts. Brown told police he had seen Timothy Richard and confirmed he had been at his apartment, according to the probable cause affidavit. However, Brown said he could not account for Timothy Richard's whereabouts that evening.

On Oct. 29, police received information that an attempt was made to use Timothy Richard's check card at two convenience stores.

On Nov. 1, police located an informant, who for reasons of personal safety, asked to remain unnamed in the affidavit. The informant is said to be acquainted with both Timothy Richard and Xavier Brown.

The informant said Timothy Richard was robbed of his motorcycle at gunpoint by Brown and four others.

Brown and his cohorts then grabbed Timothy Richard and placed him in the trunk of a car. One of the assailants jumped on Timothy Richard's motorcycle and drove to a chop shop in Houston.

Timothy Richard was shot and killed with a .25-caliber handgun and fed to the alligators, the probable cause affidavit said.

The affidavit also revealed a possible motive for the murder. Timothy Richard worked on cars and took orders for expensive rims but never delivered the product. Timothy Richard owed one of his assailants money, the probable cause affidavit said.

Besides his mother and Garcia, Timothy Richard has four siblings and an eight-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

While Brown sits in jail, Timothy Richard's family and friends are continuing the search for his body. Even Wednesday's chilly temperatures and medical issues couldn't keep them from looking.

Garcia revealed she and Timothy Richard were expecting a child but about three weeks ago, she learned there was a problem with the pregnancy. She said her treatment required surgery and her doctors told her to take it easy. But for now, she's ignoring their advice.

"We just can't sit back and wait for someone else to look for him," Garcia said. "We want to find him."

rybarra@beaumontenterprise.com
(409) 880-0735

Updated 11/27/2007 11:06:03 PM CST
©The Beaumont Enterprise 2008

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/site/news.cfm?dept_id=512588&PAG=461&newsid=19001341

Flyer:
http://www.texasequusearch.org/missing_persons/TimothyRichard.pdf

[Audie]

New search started:

http://www.kfdm.com/video/index.php?bcpid=1138292619&bclid=1137896012&bctid=1393808162

[Audie]

Breaking News: Body Discovered, Police Trying to Determine If It's Timothy Richard

Nicole Murray
January 27, 2008 - 5:53PM

KFDM News has learned searchers looking for the body of Timothy Richard discovered a body Sunday afternoon, and as we reported in our 5:30 newscast Sunday, they're trying to determine if the body is that of the Beaumont man who has been missing since October.

Police say the body was discovered shortly before 3 p.m. in north Beaumont, near Astor Street and East Delaware. The body was decomposed but police say items found near the remains indicate the body may be that of Richard.

Richard's Mother Debbie Richard tells KFDM near the remains were a pair of pants and a belt believed to be clothes Richard was wearing the day he disappeared.

His mother says she is currently trying to get Richard's dental records so the family can have a positive identification within 24 hours. If not they will have to wait for DNA test results.

Richard said, "the family is just praying that's my baby so we can give him a funeral and so that we can move on."

For three months, authorities have been looking for the body of the 26 year old man. He disappeared in October and investigators believe he was killed. Last week, Beaumont detectives received a tip they hoped would lead them to the body. Officers and members of Texas EquuSearch looked for Richard's body in north Beaumont but didn't find anything. Family and friends joined in the effort, searching block by block, looking through shrubbery, abandoned cars and vacant houses.

Investigators received the same tip from several different people, saying the area in north Beaumont is where Richard's body is located.

Richard disappeared on October 28 in the 11 hundred block of Oregon Street in Beaumont. Police say Richard called 9-1-1, saying several men confronted him and at least one
had a gun.

The Richard family hopes the long ordeal will end soon with the discovery of his body.

"That we find him, that this nightmare will finally come to a close, that his little girl will be able to say goodbye to her daddy, that I will be able to say goodbye," said Debby Richard, Tim's mother.

In November, 27 year old Xavier Brown was arrested in connection with Richard's disappearance. He is charged with aggravated robbery.

If you have any information about the case, call Beaumont Crimestoppers at 833-TIPS.

http://www.kfdm.com/news/body_24467___article.html/richard_beaumont.html

[Grande]

Great work Audie, THANK YOU! I'm sure the family is grateful to have closure.

:1222423:

[Audie]

Texas EquuSearch Finds Human Remains While Searching for Timothy Richard
Reported by: Ericka English
Sunday, Jan 27, 2008 @05:42pm CST

While out searching for a Port Arthur man that's been missing for months, a Texas Equu Search team stumbled upon human remains Sunday afternoon. Beaumont police say the team found the remains in a wooded area near Delaware and the Neches River, just before 3:00 p.m. Sunday. That's the same area where crews have been looking for 26-year-old Timothy Richard, he's been missing since October of last year. Police believe Richard was murdered, but despite an affidavit describing the murder and disposal of his body, Richard has never been found. Although police have information that Richard's body could be in the area the remains were found, they can't confirm those remains belong to him. Police say crews will continue to collect remains and evidence in the area and send them to the regional crime lab to confirm the findings.

See link for video

http://setxhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=6384

[Audie]

Search for missing Port Arthur man could be over
By PAUL S. MARTINEZ, The Enterprise
01/28/2008
Updated 01/27/2008 10:58:54 PM CST

A mother's grief was put on hold Sunday after searchers discovered what could be the body of her missing son, Timothy Richard.
Working from a recent tip, Texas EquuSearch volunteers found human remains at about 2:45 p.m. Sunday in a wooded area near the Neches River off Delaware Street, Beaumont Police De-partment spokeswoman Crystal Holmes said.

"We can't say for sure that it's (Richard) until it's confirmed conclusively with testing," she said. "But some of the items found around the scene indicate it might be him."

Police closed off the crime scene Sunday night by restricting access to Astor Street - the rural, one-lane road that leads to the scene. Police stationed officers to guard the scene overnight, Holmes said.

Collection of evidence and a search for more of the scattered remains will continue today. The evidence will be stored at a mobile crime lab on the scene, according to a Beaumont police press release.

Richard's mother, Debbie Richard, said she needs to know for sure before she can begin to have closure.

"I know it's my child, but knowing it in my head and knowing it in my heart are two different things," Richard said. "And I won't know it in my heart until we get the dental records or test the DNA."

Seventeen volunteers discovered the remains while searching the rural area shoulder-to-shoulder in a grid pattern, said Cindy Wisdom, the Texas EquuSearch case manager handling the Richard search.

"It's was very swampy, very muddy, lots of palmettos and cypress knees - and we came upon what appeared to be a hip and a femur bone," Wisdom said. "Once we determined (the bones) were likely human, we left the scene and called police."

Wisdom said it was bittersweet to have found what might be Richard's body.

"We have been out there so many times, and the goal was absolutely to bring Timothy (Richard) home so he could have a proper burial," she said. "So we accomplished our goal and we're happy for that, but, on the flip side, we understand there is a family grieving for their loved one."

Richard, 26, of Port Arthur, first went missing on Oct. 28, 2007, after an ambiguous telephone call he made to 911, according to The Enterprise archives.

Richard pretended the dispatcher was a friend, using slang terms and hinting that he might be in trouble. He was never heard from again.

Xavier Brown, 27, was arrested and charged with the murder of Richard on Nov. 2, 2007.

The murder charge was later changed to aggravated robbery, but Brown's bond remained at $500,000.

Holmes said police think they have a solid case for Brown robbing Richard, but it's difficult to prove murder without a body.

Brown is currently in the Jefferson County Correctional Facility. He remains the prime suspect in Richard's disappearance, Holmes said.

More arrests are expected in the case. Holmes said she knows of at least two suspects who have "lawyered up" in anticipation of charges related to the disappearance.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19237850&BRD=2287&PAG=461&dept_id=512588&rfi=6

[Grande]

To Texas Equusearch :1222423:

[Pauli]

Kudos to TES for bringing another lost loved one home :1222423:

[Texas53]

To the family. :1222423:

[PinkPony]

Thank you TES for helping to bring closure to this family.

[Audie]

Search fo Richard Over?

http://www.kfdm.com/video/index.php?bcpid=1138292619&bclid=1137896012&bctid=1394183530

[Audie]

Body Identified As Timothy Richard's
posted by: Lance Edwards
January 28, 2008 - 5:49PM

Just minutes ago, Beaumont Police confirmed with KFDM News that the human remains found in North Beaumont Sunday are those of Timothy Richard.

Watch KFDM News At Six for an update.

http://www.kfdm.com/news/richard_24477___article.html/body_identified.html

[Audie]

This addition was added to the above website just after I posted it. Not sure why.

STORY FROM SUNDAY, JANUARY 27:
The mother of Timothy Richard has provided Beaumont police with dental records of her son to help determine if remains found Sunday are his.

Texas EquuSearch volunters found a body shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday in north Beaumont, near Astor Street and East Delaware. The body was decomposed but Debby Richard says pants and a belt found near the remains indicate the body is that of her son. She says he was wearing that clothing when he disappeared in October.

If a positive identification can't be made using dental records, it could take weeks for DNA results to determine if the remains are those of Richard.

"The family is just praying that's my baby so we can give him a funeral and so that we can move on," said Debby.

Police will continue searching for more remains through Tuesday.

For three months, authorities have been looking for the body of the 26 year old man. He disappeared in October and investigators believe he was killed. Last week, Beaumont detectives received a tip they hoped would lead them to the body. Officers and members of Texas EquuSearch looked for Richard's body in north Beaumont but didn't find anything. Family and friends joined in the effort, searching block by block, looking through shrubbery, abandoned cars and vacant houses.

Investigators received the same tip from several different people, saying the area in north Beaumont is where Richard's body is located.

Richard disappeared on October 28 in the 11 hundred block of Oregon Street in Beaumont. Police say Richard called 9-1-1, saying several men confronted him and at least one
had a gun.

The Richard family hopes the long ordeal will end soon with the discovery of his body.

"That we find him, that this nightmare will finally come to a close, that his little girl will be able to say goodbye to her daddy, that I will be able to say goodbye," said Debby Richard, Tim's mother.

In November, 27 year old Xavier Brown was arrested in connection with Richard's disappearance. He was charged with capital murder but the charge was changed to aggravated robbery pending the discovery of a body. Police say there are several other suspects in the crime.

If you have any information about the case, call Beaumont Crimestoppers at 833-TIPS.

Stay with KFDM and kfdm.com for the latest on the story.

[Audie]

Thanks Harlett and Grande for this message board and the missing person cases that y'all have added to it (I wish there weren't so many). The info is very interesting and informing. Sorry I can't elaborate more.

[Grande]

Thanks Harlett and Grande for this message board and the missing person cases that y'all have added to it (I wish there weren't so many). The info is very interesting and informing. Sorry I can't elaborate more.

Your welcome Audie, thank you for everything you do!

[Grande]

Xavier Brown Indicted for Capital Murder in Death of Timothy Richard
February 7, 2008 - 10:23AM
Scott Lawrence

http://i25.tinypic.com/214t55g.jpg

A Jefferson County grand jury has just indicted Xavier Brown for capital murder in the death of Timothy Richard. Timothy Richard disappeared on October 28, 2007, in the 11 hundred block of Oregon Street in Beaumont. Police say Richard called 9-1-1, saying several men confronted him and at least one had a gun. Texas EquuSearch volunteers and police found Richard's remains at the end of last month in a wooded area on Astor Street near East Delaware in north Beaumont. After comparing dental records, police confirmed the remains were Richard's. In November, 27 year old Xavier Brown was arrested and charged with Richard's murder. Those charges were later reduced to aggravated robbert pending the discovery of Richard's body. Police say at least two other suspects in the case have refused to cooperate. Richard's mother, Debby Richard, talked to KFDM after it was confirmed the remains were those of her son. "All I ever wanted was my child back, you cannot imagine what it feels like to not know where your children are, to know something has happened to them and you can't get to them. It's a nightmare, it really is, so yes, having my baby back is closure for me." Debby spoke with us about what should happen to those responsible for her son's death. "I'm gonna leave that to the law and to God," said Debby. "The law knows what will happen and God knows and he knows what they deserve." "My hope is, that if they do get the death penalty, that they come to the Lord before that day happens. I would not wish for anybody to die not knowing the Lord is their savior and not repenting for the sins that they have committed because that would be even more of a tragedy than what happened to my child. Not all angels are in heaven - some of 'em walk around here on this earth in the last three months, and if I could, I would give them everything in the world that they wanted, needed. Unfortunately, I can't, but I can say thank you. They have proven that even though there is bad in the world, there is more good than bad." Watch KFDM News and stay with kfdm.com for the latest on the story. STORY FROM 6 PM NEWS, JANUARY 28: The yellow police tape keeps the public out and allows officers to search the wooded area for the remains of Timothy Richard without worrying about someone tampering with the evidence. "The body has been out in the woods for a very long time," said Ofc. Crystal Holmes. Beaumont police officer Crystal Holmes says time, and weather conditions, have made their work tough. "We don't know if we will ever recover everything that is out there," said Ofc. Holmes. "It's a tedious search." The search for Timothy Richard began after he disappeared in late October. Three months later, investigators want to find as much evidence as possible to build a case against his killer or killers. In November, 27 year old Xavier Brown was arrested and charged with Richard's murder. Those charges were dropped and replaced with aggravated robbery. Brown remains in the Jefferson County Jail. "We have others that are suspects and they have obtained attorneys and refused to speak with us regarding the missing Timothy Richard case," said Ofc. Holmes. Richard's mother, Debby, is convinced the remains belong to her son. She says police found a belt and pair of pants believed to be her son's near the remains, and she wants the everyone responsible to pay for the crime. "I hope they die," said Debby. "I hope the State of Texas puts a needle in their arm because these kinds of people don't need to be out in the public because another mother's child is in danger the longer they stay out there." Richard says her son had a gentle soul and did not deserve to die the way he did, and while she says she can't fully grieve until the investigation is over, she's making preparations to finally give him a proper burial. "Because all we have are skeletal remains Timothy will have to be cremated, but we are going to place him with his daddy," said Debby. "I know they are together in heaven, but God I wish they were here." EquuSearch volunteers traveled to Beaumont six times before making the discovery. They tell KFDM News they plan to make one more trip back to the area to attend Timothy's funeral. Stay with KFDM and kfdm.com for the latest on the investigation. STORY FROM SUNDAY, JANUARY 27: The mother of Timothy Richard has provided Beaumont police with dental records of her son to help determine if remains found Sunday are his. Texas EquuSearch volunteers found a body shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday in north Beaumont, near Astor Street and East Delaware. The body was decomposed but Debby Richard says pants and a belt found near the remains indicate the body is that of her son. She says he was wearing that clothing when he disappeared in October. If a positive identification can't be made using dental records, it could take weeks for DNA results to determine if the remains are those of Richard. "The family is just praying that's my baby so we can give him a funeral and so that we can move on," said Debby. Police will continue searching for more remains through Tuesday. For three months, authorities have been looking for the body of the 26 year old man. He disappeared in October and investigators believe he was killed. Last week, Beaumont detectives received a tip they hoped would lead them to the body. Officers and members of Texas EquuSearch looked for Richard's body in north Beaumont but didn't find anything. Family and friends joined in the effort, searching block by block, looking through shrubbery, abandoned cars and vacant houses. Investigators received the same tip from several different people, saying the area in north Beaumont is where Richard's body is located. Richard disappeared on October 28 in the 11 hundred block of Oregon Street in Beaumont. Police say Richard called 9-1-1, saying several men confronted him and at least one had a gun. The Richard family hopes the long ordeal will end soon with the discovery of his body. "That we find him, that this nightmare will finally come to a close, that his little girl will be able to say goodbye to her daddy, that I will be able to say goodbye," said Debby Richard, Tim's mother. In November, 27 year old Xavier Brown was arrested in connection with Richard's disappearance. He was charged with capital murder but the charge was changed to aggravated robbery pending the discovery of a body. Police say there are several other suspects in the crime. If you have any information about the case, call Beaumont Crimestoppers at 833-TIPS.

http://www.kfdm.com/news/richard_24616___article.html/indicted_brown.html

[annalyzer]

Xavier Brown pleads guilty to Timothy Richard's murder

By BLAIR DEDRICK ORTMANN
March 17, 2009

Debbie Richard said Tuesday she finally has gotten justice.

Her son, Timothy Coris Richard, was missing for more than three months before his body was found Jan. 27 north of Beaumont.

On Tuesday, Xavier Tyrone Brown pleaded guilty to Richard's murder and was sentenced to 60 years in prison in an agreement with the Jefferson County District Attorney.

As a condition of the deal, Brown no longer has the right to appeal.

"At least he will be away from society and not able to murder any other innocent person," Debbie Richard said after the hearing.

Brown was linked to Richard's death by an unnamed police informant and has been in the Jefferson County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond since his arrest on Nov. 2.

The two met when they worked together at a scaffolding company in 2006, Debbie Richard told The Enterprise in January.

On Oct. 28, 2008, Richard went to talk to Brown in Beaumont about some car parts, Gene Garcia, Richard's common-law wife, told The Enterprise in November.

Beaumont police received a 911 call from Richard's cell phone about half an hour later, according to the January article. The caller pretended to be speaking with someone other than law enforcement but said he was being robbed with a gun by a group of people.

The police informant told detectives Brown later bragged to a group of friends about robbing and killing Richard.

Brown was indicted in January on charges of capital murder and kidnapping.

Patrick Knauth and Ramon Rodriguez, the assistant district attorneys who handled the case in District Judge Layne Walker's court, said Tuesday they were satisfied with the agreement to the lesser murder charge.

"We had to look at the relative strengths and weaknesses of the case," Rodriguez said, explaining the bargain. "He had no prior criminal record, and with a willingness to plea guilty and get a guaranteed result, you've got to take it."

Brown will have to serve at least 30 years of his sentence before he has a chance at parole, he added.

Although others were suspected of being involved in the death, Rodriguez said the case probably will end here.

"It's problematic because (Brown) would never flip on the other people involved," he said.

Debbie Richard told Brown in a victim's impact statement that she would be praying for him.

"What you took is more precious that anything in this world and cannot be replaced, but I do not hate you," she said.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/local/xavier_brown_pleads_guilty_to_timothy_richard_s_mu rder_03-17-2009.html

[annalyzer]

No wonder I'm confused. They have the dates wrong in the above post. It should read october 28, 2007.