Decapitation suspect in court
Bail was increased to $75,000 Monday for Raymond Jackson, a homeless man charged in the slaying of Enayatolah Khorsand, 58, who was found decapitated last week inside his auto parts store.
A homeless man accused of bludgeoning then decapitating an auto parts store owner last week will undergo a psychological evaluation, his lawyer said Monday.
Raymond Jackson, 62, appeared Monday in a Harris County courtroom where a judge upped his bail from $50,000 to $75,000 after hearing the grisly allegations in the death of Enayatolah Khorsand, a 58-year-old Iranian immigrant who went by “Andy.”
Prosecutor Kyle Watkins said the store owner had hired Jackson to help clean up at the southeast Houston shop.
After the store closed on Thursday night, Jackson can be seen on surveillance video attacking the store owner with a bat, then using a machete to sever his head from his body. He can then be seen putting Khorsand’s head in a plastic bag, Watkins said.
The prosecutor did not give a motive in the alleged slaying.
After listening to the brutal allegations, state District Judge Jan Krocker raised Jackson’s bail. She also appointed defense attorney Tommy LaFon to represent the indigent man. LaFon told the judge he may later argue for a bail reduction.
After the brief hearing, he said Jackson, who appeared unsteady on his feet in court, was “shellshocked.”
“This has been a pretty devastating couple of days for him,” LaFon said. “And we’re just trying to find out as much information as we can right now to see how we’re going to get started working on the defense of his case.”
Asked if Jackson had any history of mental illness, LaFon said it could be part of a defense, but that he is still investigating.
“I don’t know that I want to disclose that at this point in time,” he said. “It is something that I’ll be pursuing.”
He said the first step is for Jackson to go through a mental evaluation to determine any mental health issues.
Jackson has a history of misdemeanor criminal charges in Harris County, including three for trespassing, beginning in 1986. He was also arrested for pulling a knife on a family member in 2008, but a grand jury dismissed the charges after finding there was not enough evidence to go forward.
Jackson remains in the Harris County Jail. If convicted of the first-degree felony, he could be sentenced to life in prison.