Man in suspected dating app killings gets murder charge
One of two men suspected of using a dating app to lure two Houstonarea men to their deaths will remain behind bars without bail, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Brandon Alexander Lyons, 18, is charged with capital murder in the death of Glenser Soliman, a 44-year-old St. Luke’s Medical Center nurse whose nude, battered body was found in a field near Lyons’ apartment Feb. 25.
The search continues for Lyons’ cousin, who is being sought in connection with the death of a UH student who went missing in March.
Prosecutors suspect that Lyons lured Soliman to his Spring-area apartment in the early morning hours of Feb. 16 with robbery as the likely motive.
The last entry on Soliman’s car GPS navigation system was Lyons’ apartment address.
Hours later, surveillance footage shows Lyons driving Soliman’s stolen car. Prosecutors said Lyons admitted driving the car but said his explanation appeared suspect.
The car was found abandoned in a parking lot near Lyons’ apartment nearly a week later on Feb. 22.
Soliman’s body was found nine days after he went missing, by a man walking his dog on a trail in the Spring area, just 5 miles from the dead man’s home.
Prosecutors say they were able to trace the location of Lyon’s cellphone use to the crime scene.
Investigators also found a scarf, known to be worn by Soliman, during a search of Lyons’ apartment. Prosecutors suspect he took the garment from Soliman’s car.
Lyons is also a suspect in the murder of An Vinh Nguyen, a 26-year-old University of Houston student last seen March 31, whose car was also found abandoned in the Spring area.
Lyons’ cousin and roommate, Jerrett Jamal Allen, 26, also a suspect in Nguyen’s death, is being sought on a charge of unlawfully using the student’s credit cards. He was last spotted in April, using the cards in El Paso, detectives said.
Nguyen’s family reported him missing April 1 after they couldn’t contact him. Nguyen, who was studying hotel and restaurant management at UH, also missed a scheduled job interview.
Deputies presume Nguyen is dead, though his body has not been recovered.
Harris County Sheriff ’s investigators said they suspect the men met through a dating app and warned the public to be wary of meeting strangers online.
Prosecutors made no mention of an app during the hearing Wednesday.
Investigators said the men may have been using the Grindr app and said the killer may have been targeting Asian men.