Police arrest man in slaying of Spring chef
Man charged with capital murder was on parole after serving 6 years
Authorities have arrested and charged a Houston man in the September slaying of Spring chef Michael Kusuma, who was gunned down by intruders in his home.
Authorities have arrested and charged a Houston man in the September slaying of Spring chef Michael Kusuma, who was gunned down by intruders in his north Harris County home.
John Wesley Baldwin III, 28, is charged with capital murder. He was apprehended on Tuesday, according to Harris County district clerk records, and had been released in February from a six-year stint in state prison.
Kusuma, a beloved 33-year-old culinarian, was killed Sept. 18 when armed assailants stormed into his house on Canvasback Glen Court around 9:30 p.m. and demanded money. His younger brother, Sebastian, was injured in the attack.
The Kusumas emigrated from Indonesia. Michael originally moved stateside for college, and relatives eventually settled in Texas.
A few years ago, the brothers’ uncle, Tony, opened the popular breakfast hot spot Sunny Side of the Street in a Spring shopping center. Since the killing, the restaurant has shut its doors for good.
Baldwin was released from parole in February after serving six years of a seven-year prison sentence on an aggravated robbery charge from Harris County, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
His community supervision ended on Aug. 30, less than three weeks before the crime at the Kusuma residence.
The brazen killing was
cited by leaders in Houston’s Chinatown who have called on city officials for extra law enforcement support in southwest Houston while pinpointing other recent crimes that they believe resulted from criminals targeting Asians. A related protest on Saturday in the Galleria area was organized to highlight what demonstrators describe as an uptick in the robberies of Asian people in the greater Houston area — particularly business owners who are perceived to have a higher likelihood of cash in their vehicles or in their homes.
Nick Rama, a regular customer at Sunny Side, said he wants the person responsible for shooting Michael Kusuma to pay for the crime.
“I hope justice is served and he gets the maximum punishment,” Rama said Wednesday. “This guy ruined an entire family’s livelihood and the lives of hardworking employees all for a little bit of money.”
Rama got to know the Kusumas well through their eatery, and at one point he featured Michael and Sebastian in an article for Public News. Now, he wants answers.
“I want to know why he targeted Michael and his brother,” Rama said of the killer. “I also hope this will bring some type of closure for Michael’s family.”
Baldwin ran afoul of the law after the killing and was temporarily in custody following an arrest on Sept. 27.
He was charged with one count of misdemeanor marijuana possession and pleaded guilty the next day in exchange for a fiveday sentence in the Harris County Jail.
Baldwin’s criminal history in Harris County dates back to 2007 with a sprinkling of misdemeanor drug and theft charges. His first felony in Harris County was the aggravated robbery charge in 2009.
He is scheduled for a court appearance on Thursday morning.