Linked Murders in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas – A man will appear in court Thursday in connection with the murder of an Austin choir director in December, according to Austin police.

Austin Criminal Defense Attorney Darla Davis will defend Shawn Gant-Benalcazar, 30, who has been charged with Capital Murder in the Dec. 6, 2014, killing of Kathy Blair. Blair was stabbed in the neck after Gant-Benalcazar had entered her home through an unlocked door in Northwest Austin with the intent of stealing jewelry, a police affidavit says.

Gant-Benalcazar provided a voluntary statement to police admitting to the crime after an associate, Timothy Parlin, 49, said during questioning that Gant-Benalcazar had killed Blair, according to an affidavit. Parlin was arrested in connection to another crime.

Gant is also being questioned in connection to another killing of an elderly couple on Dec. 15, 2014. Parlin said he drove Gant-Benalcazar to the residence of Billie, 83, and Sidney, 85, Shelton on Brentwood Drive in Northwest Austin. Parlin said that when Gant-Benalcazar returned he was in possession of items APD believes were property of the Shelton’s, according to an APD release.

Vice-President of the Brentwood Neighborhood Association Mike McChesney said that the death of the Shelton’s was a wake up call for his neighborhood. McChesney lived two blocks down from the Shelton’s for the last 20 years. McChesney insisted that their neighborhood has never had problems with crime in the past.

“This was a reminder to try to be more conscious about leaving our doors unlocked, leaving our keys in our car, and paying more attention to our safety,” McChesney said. “Our neighborhood plans on not only being conscious of our own property, but of each others as well.”

McChesney, a real estate agent who has sold over 500 houses in Austin, said that the neighborhood has discussed safer practices but he hasn’t felt the need to buy new security systems.

“I have found that there are folks who will always have a security system and those who will not, it just depends on how paranoid someone is,” McChesney said.

 “Looking at the 2014 homicides numbers, we had 31 murders. Six were home invasion related. This is higher than in past years,” said Austin Police Homicide Sergeant Brian Miller, “Having been the robbery sergeant before I became the homicide sergeant, I can say that most home invasions in Austin are drug related and most the time don’t result in death.”

Sergeant Miller further advises that to prevent a home from being invaded, “Always ensure that doors and windows are secured and that you don’t open your door to anyone whom you don’t recognize.”

Charges have not yet been filed in the murders of Billie and Sidney Shelton. Police are actively looking for further evidence to link Parlin and Gant-Benalcazar to the crime.

Police ask the public to hand in any possessions believed to have been taken from the residencies of the crimes by Gant-Benalcazar or Parlin, and to contact the Homicide Tip Line at 512-477-3588 or Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS.