TYLER COUNTY — The Tyler County Sheriff's Office has charged 34-year-old Christopher Paulette of Hillister with capital murder after a call about a man being held against his will.
The victim has been identified as Susan Morris, 64, of Onalaska in Polk County. Preliminary autopsy results are not available at this time according to Sheriff Bryan Weatherford. Earlier this year, Morris was arrested and accused of sexually assaulting a child. She had also faced drug charges in 2017.
District Judge Delinda Gibbs-Walker has denied bond for Paulette, according to Weatherford. He is still being held in Tyler County Jail, according to Weatherford.
On Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, Deputies received an anonymous call that a man was being held against his will and found a man with his hands bound upon arrival.
That's when deputies located Paulette and took him into custody.
Deputies searched the residence and found the body of a female hidden inside the home. The identity of the woman has not been released and an autopsy has been ordered.
"I didn't really know him, but I've seen him walk around sometimes," Hillister resident Johnny Harris said of Paulette.
Harris said he has seen Paulette several times, but never communicated with him. He said the details of the crime are not something he's used to hearing in the community.
"You don't think something like that would happen in a small city like this," Harris said.
Paulette was charged with capital murder and felon in possession of a firearm.
The case is being investigated by Tyler County Sheriff's Office, ATF and the Texas Rangers.
From a Tyler County Sheriff's office news release:
On Friday, December 21, 2018, at approximately 6:00 am, an anonymous caller told a 911 Operator that a male subject was being held against his will at a residence located in Hillister, eight miles south of Woodville.
Tyler County Deputies responded to the residence and as they approached the front door, encountered a male subject with his hands bound.
Deputies located and took into custody a second male subject, Christopher Paulette, who was armed with a handgun.
Deputies secured the scene and obtained a search warrant for the residence.
Deputies along with ATF Agents conducted a search of the residence and discovered a deceased female hidden in the residence.
The identity of the deceased female is not being released at this time pending family notification.
An autopsy will be conducted by the Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Beaumont.
Christopher Paulette, age 34 of Hillister, has been charged with Capital Murder and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Paulette is currently being held in the Tyler County Jail with no bond.
The case remains under investigation by Tyler County Sheriff's Office Investigators, ATF, and the Texas Rangers