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Houston Family Murdered: Eight Dead Bodies Found Inside Home, Six Children Murdered

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 05:17 PST, Aug 10, 2015

A Houston standoff left a couple and six children dead. David Conley, 48, has been arrested and charged with capital murder in the gruesome deaths. Harris County law enforcement officers report that Conley has a violent criminal past.

David Conley appeared before a Texas judge on Monday morning. He was denied bond in the Houston standoff case. The couple and the children were all reportedly shot in the head. Those killed during the home invasion include Dewayne Jackson, 50, his wife, Valerie Jackson, 40, and their children, Dewayne, 10, Honesty, 11, Caleb, 9, Trinity, 7, Jonah, 6, and Nathaniel, 13. The teenager is believed to be the son of Conley and Valerie Jackson.

https://youtu.be/rYbk6HNHzDs

Houston police were alerted to a problem inside the home when a relative of Valerie Jackson called the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to request a welfare check at the residence. Chief Deputy Tim Cannon said law enforcement officers attempted to make contact with someone inside the home multiple times before going inside.

“We do not — cannot — fully comprehend the motivation of an individual that would take the lives of so many innocent people. Especially the lives of the young ones,” Chief Deputy Cannon said. “The killer’s motives appear to be related to a dispute with Valerie, who was his former domestic partner.”

The Texas deputies soon learned that David Conley had a warrant out for his arrest on an assault charge, and had once lived inside the home. The High Risk Operations Unit of the Harris County sheriff’s office was called in to assist with the investigation and capture.

The Houston standoff went on for several hours before Conley ultimately surrendered.

“While awaiting response for the (unit), the body of an unidentified child was observed through a window at the residence,” Cannon added. “Deputies on scene forced entry into the home and were immediately met with gunfire. The deputies withdrew from the home and awaited the arrival of the unit.”

Sheriff’s deputies have not stated whether or not any of the victims were still alive when they were able to enter the home. Conley, upon discovering that his key no longer fit the locks, garnered access to the home through an unlocked window, police reports indicate.

Harris County investigators revealed that Jackson and Conley once had a relationship. When the romance ended, Valerie dated and then married Dewayne Jackson, and the couple had five children together. Sergeant Craig Clopton noted that Valeria and her accused murderer had reunited their relationship at some point, before breaking up again.

Last month, Conley was arrested for allegedly assaulting Valeria Jackson inside the home where the bodies were found. His criminal record reportedly dates back to 1988. Police reports from the domestic violence case indite that Jackson tried to stop Conley from a taking a belt to her son.

Two years ago, Conley pleaded guilty to assaulting Jackson with a knife, and spent nine months in the Harris County jail. In 2000, the accused child killer was sentenced to five years in prison for “retaliating” against a girlfriend when she filed an assault charge against him. It is not known if the woman involved in the case was Jackson.

In 2013, Conley was charged with aggravated assault for threatening Jackson with a knife. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine months in the county jail. In 2000, he was sentenced to five years in prison for retaliating against his then-girlfriend after she had filed an assault charge against him. It was unclear if that woman was Valerie Jackson.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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