Police say a bloodstained screwdriver connected a suspect to an attack that left 90-year-old Francisco Chura fatally injured.

HOUSTON, Tex. — DNA recovered from a screwdriver found inside the home of a 90-year-old convenience store owner helped investigators charge a Houston man with capital murder nearly 10 months after the victim was attacked, according to police and court records.

Anthony Cerda, 34, is accused of killing Francisco Chura, who was found badly injured at his home and business at 7801 Canal St. on the morning of Aug. 20, 2025. Chura was taken to a hospital and died Sept. 7, Houston police said. Cerda was arrested June 12 and booked into the Harris County Jail while already being held in connection with an unrelated case. The capital murder charge was filed in the 232nd Criminal District Court. The accusation remains pending, and Cerda is presumed innocent unless proved guilty.

The arrest followed a long investigation built from physical evidence, Chura’s account before his death, interviews with people who knew the two men and DNA testing that was completed months after the attack. Court records cited by local and national news organizations say investigators found a bent screwdriver with blood on it near Chura’s bed. Testing later indicated that DNA from both Chura and Cerda was present on the tool. Police identified Cerda as a suspect before the laboratory findings arrived, but the DNA results provided the strongest reported physical link between him and the scene.

Houston police gave a limited account in their June 12 announcement. Officers were sent to the Canal Street address at about 9 a.m. after receiving a report of an assault, the department said. They found Chura suffering from multiple injuries, and Houston Fire Department paramedics transported him to a hospital. Police said investigators later identified Cerda as a suspect but did not describe the full evidence in the public release. Details of the alleged break-in, the missing money and the screwdriver came from court documents reported by ABC13 and Law&Crime.

According to those records, Chura lived in a room connected to the convenience store he had operated for decades. Investigators allege that someone entered through a back window after removing a window-mounted air-conditioning unit. Chura told detectives that he had been asleep when a man climbed on top of him, struck him and attacked him with a screwdriver. The records describe several small puncture wounds and blood on the bedding. The account is an allegation contained in the criminal case and has not been tested at trial.

Despite his injuries, Chura was able to provide investigators with an account of what happened. He said he pretended to be dead until the attacker left, then remained in a bathroom until he saw daylight. He eventually reached a neighbor’s home and sought help. Chura told police that about $3,000 was missing from a safe. Investigators reported finding the safe open and empty, leading them to examine robbery as a possible reason for the attack. Authorities have not publicly identified any recovered money or said whether the missing cash was traced to Cerda.

Chura’s description of the attacker included long hair, according to the reported affidavit. About two months later, detectives encountered a long-haired man hiding in a crawl space beneath a nearby house while officers were in the area. The homeowner identified the man as her nephew, Cerda, and said he sometimes stayed at the residence when he needed a place to live. The reported documents do not say that Cerda was arrested for Chura’s death during that encounter. Investigators continued gathering statements and waiting for forensic results.

The homeowner told detectives that Cerda knew Chura and had visited his store, according to the court records. She said Chura sometimes loaned Cerda money and that Cerda had been inside the business shortly before the attack. Cerda denied killing Chura and reportedly told detectives that he had never been inside the store. That denial differed from the homeowner’s statement, but the conflict alone did not establish what happened. Police later sought accounts from additional witnesses as they attempted to reconstruct Chura’s contacts before the assault.

One witness said he visited the store on the night before Chura was injured and found the door locked. Chura allowed him inside and described an encounter with a man who had first received money from him and then returned seeking more, according to the affidavit as reported by Law&Crime. Chura said he refused the second request and forced the man to leave, but he did not identify that person to the witness. The records do not establish independently that the exchange involved Cerda, and prosecutors would have to prove any claimed connection in court.

Investigators also received a statement from a man interviewed in January 2026. That witness said he had spent time with Cerda after the attack and heard Cerda claim that he had killed “Pancho,” Chura’s nickname, according to the reported affidavit. Cerda has not been convicted, and alleged admissions relayed by another person can be disputed over accuracy, context and credibility. The publicly available police announcement did not mention that statement, and no recording of the alleged remark has been released. It is unclear from the reports whether anyone else was present when it was allegedly made.

The forensic testing produced the development that police used to seek the capital murder charge. A laboratory analysis completed in June reportedly identified two DNA contributors on the screwdriver: Chura and Cerda. Authorities have not publicly released the laboratory report, the amount or location of the tested material, or an explanation of how prosecutors will argue the DNA was deposited. Those questions could become important as the case proceeds, particularly because the defense may challenge the handling, testing or interpretation of physical evidence.

Chura’s death affected a part of southeast Houston where neighbors said he had long been a familiar presence. An unidentified neighbor told ABC13 that Chura had helped people in the community and was known by generations of residents. “Everybody knew him. Everybody grew up with him,” the neighbor said. The neighbor also expressed surprise that anyone would attack him. The public reports do not provide details about Chura’s family, funeral or the future of the store, and police have not released a broader biography beyond his age, business and connection to the neighborhood.

Capital murder is the most serious homicide charge under Texas law, but the filing of the charge is only the beginning of the court process. Prosecutors must present admissible evidence proving every required element beyond a reasonable doubt. The available reports do not identify Cerda’s attorney, describe any plea entered in the case or say whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty. Cerda remained jailed after the June arrest. Future court filings are expected to address representation, evidence and scheduling, while the allegations surrounding Chura’s death await review in court.

Author note: Last updated July 13, 2026.