The investigation into Steven Felts’ murder case is still ongoing.
Steven Felts was murdered at the age of 36. He was known as a devoted father and lab supervisor at a chemical company in Houston, and sources say he is well-liked in the neighborhood.
His sudden passing came as a shock to his family and loved ones.
On October 15, 1996, he was brutally beaten to death. His dead body was found on his couch, face down, at home. Furthermore, Felts had sustained head gunshot wounds to his back.
On a recent episode of “Cold Justice,” which airs February 25, 2023, at 8/7c on Oxygen, homicide detective Steve Spingola and senior prosecutor Kelly Siegler headed to Rosenberg to investigate the horrific murder of Steven Felts.
They were joined by Lieutenant James Murray of the Rosenberg Police Department, Det. David Murray and Sgt. Suni Jugueta admits there are many unanswered questions in this old case, including the absence of genetic evidence or a murder weapon.
Linette, Steven’s wife, told investigators she found her husband’s corpse in his room after returning from a restaurant visit. At the time, the couple’s 6-year-old daughter was sleeping in another room.
According to sources, the couple has been dealing with problems in their marriage. According to recordings of Linette’s conversations with some mysterious men in the hands of the authorities during the 1996 investigation, they found that Linette would disappear for several days.
Police later questioned Linete about what happened, especially in light of evidence that her husband suspected she was cheating on him and surreptitiously recorded her phone calls to substantiate it. After 25 years, the case is still unsolved.
Authorities believe Linette’s possible inheritance of $300,000 from Steven’s life insurance policy may have motivated the murder.
The “Cold Justice” team talks to the victim’s sister, Mona Felts, a longtime seeker of justice for her brother, to learn more about the family history of the case.
Researchers are exploring several hypotheses.
Investigator Siegler explores numerous hypotheses about how the trio could have committed the crime individually or collectively.
The group discusses the physical evidence before speaking to a suspect. Chris Robinson, a ballistics expert, says an H&R Harrington revolver was used to kill Steven.
Dr. Kathryn Pinneri, a forensic pathologist, examined the crime scene images of Steven’s injuries, which included gunshot wounds, a blow to the back of his head and bruises on his arms.
Crime scene photos show lividity, the discoloration of the skin after death.
Steven had been dead for three hours, and this contradicts Linette’s claim that her husband had died when she returned home to buy burgers about 45 minutes after she left.
Linette’s account of the events is disputed because she did not immediately check on her husband during her 1996 police interview. There are several aspects of Linette’s account that Ziegler says are absurd.
Later, investigators spoke to his colleagues and relatives to learn more about the couple’s marriage. While Steven’s boss, Mark Sample, told them that he had a vague memory that Steven had suspicions about his wife’s infidelity
The team also gets confirmation from Linette’s friends that the marriage was difficult and that Steven supported his wife financially.
Steven had transferred a considerable amount of money from a joint account to his account a few days before his death. According to Linette, this was done for tax reasons.
The victim allegedly told the victim that he wanted a divorce and that Steven thought his wife was dangerous, according to Bill Wilder, the Felts family’s lawyer.
Cold Justice investigators are told by Wilder that “he was killed” a short time later. Another registered exchange is the target of further investigation.
Steven expressed concern that his wife used his stolen gun to shoot him. According to Felts, his wife was armed.
Sample verifies that his voice is the other one heard in the recording, which the cassette renders as acceptable evidence.
One of Booker’s friends is spoken to by Furman and Spingola. He claims that Booker applied for a gun loan because he had “some business” to attend to. Hinton, with whom Siegler and Juguetan also speak, denies any romantic involvement with Linette, and Hinton also denies any involvement in Felts’ murder.
With the evidence of the money transfer, Linette’s questionable account of the crime, the phone call in which her husband expressed concern for her, and Booker’s pledging of the guns, Furman and Spingola face Linette.
Finally, she ends the exchange by saying she needs to speak to her lawyer.
The squad eliminates Hinton as a suspect after reviewing all available material. Despite being dead, Booker remains a suspect who will never be charged. It’s been a while since I’ve been here.
Fort Bend County prosecutors received the findings of the investigation and agreed that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the case.
According to “Cold Justice,” the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s office is still aggressively preparing this case for presentation to a grand jury, despite the slowdown of the COVID-19 pandemic.
