He made the discovery after finding the car running but parked along Normandy near the East Freeway. The motive in this case has not been determined and there is no suspect, but police have told us that this murder may have been drug-related.
At 4am, a man driving with his wife and four-month-old baby spotted a Chevrolet on the side of the road. The engine was running, and the keys were right in the ignition. He told police he decided to see if there was anything worth stealing inside. It turns out there was a dead body in the trunk, so he called 911.
Police say the victim has been identified as Donald Michael Lapointe, 28, of Houston. He had been shot at least once and left lying face down.
"We do know that he had a gunshot wound to the chest," said HPD Homicide Investigator Jack A. Harvey. "Also, inside his pants he had a quantity of some unknown pills inside of a ziplock bag. At this point the investigation is still ongoing. We're still looking to try to identify him and find out what led to this situation."
Detectives believe Lapointe was shot somewhere else and then his body was placed in the trunk. Since Lapointe was carrying unlabeled pills, investigators suspect the motive for this crime could be drug-related. There is also evidence of a struggle between the victim and his killer.
Harvey said, "The gunshot wound was the most prominent wound. However, he also had some abrasions to his face. He had some swelling, bruising."
Detectives say that the man who made the discovery is not a suspect. At this time, there are no known suspects. Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Residents in a home in Fort Bend County say a man who knocked on their door asking for help stole several cell phones overnight. Residents noticed the phones were missing after the man left. One of the residents grabbed a rifle and confronted the man across the street from the home.