Godson allegedly shot couple as they slept

Romalius Eugene Mathews helped Nyee Duncan for years, giving the teen a home and raising him as his own son, the Houston man’s family said.

Duncan is now accused of murdering Mathews and his partner who took the teen in and called him their godson.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Duncan, 18, last week sneaked into the bedroom of Mathews, 45, and Jaquilla Dixon, 47, as they slept, and shot them dead. Had his gun not run out of bullets, Duncan would have killed the four others who were in the Sunnyside-area house at the time, witnesses told investigators.

“If somebody’s trying to help you, how can you do that to somebody?” Mathews’ mother, Ruby Mathews Woods said on the day of her son’s death. She said her son has been trying to help Duncan and his mother for years.

Duncan was charged on Wednesday with capital murder. He is not yet in custody, court records indicate.

Witnesses told police they saw Duncan go into the back of the house in the 3800 block of Rosemont Street around 4:30 a.m. Dec. 4. About 15 minutes later, they heard five gunshots coming from the bedroom in the rear of the home.

Duncan then went into the living room, which police say was an illegal gaming room, and brandished a handgun. He began shooting at people who were there to gamble, court records say.

One of the bullets hit a gambler in the abdomen. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital in serious condition and survived the shooting.

Duncan aimed his gun at the head of one woman in the room, but it appeared he was out of ammunition. He then fled to a bathroom in the back of the home, where police say they later found a 9 mm handgun lying on the ground and an open window.

Witnesses said Duncan had been living in the home up until the murders. They all knew him at the couple’s godson.

Duncan was charged on May 16 with stealing $700 in cash from a Houston beauty shop that hired him to clean.

According to his arrest warrant on that charge, officers said Duncan’s name came up on the Houston Police Department’s “Gang Tracker” database.

Mathews and Dixon were known for helping out people in need in their community, their relatives said.

“He was always looking out for people,” said Elton Mathews of his slain brother last week as he waited to find out more details from police in front of the crime scene. “I think one of the people he was looking out for is the person that killed him.”

Ray Dixon said his sister was a kind soul. “She never hurt anybody. She was always wanting to help everybody. Words can’t really explain it.”

Marilyn McFarland, a neighbor who often watched the Dixons when they were growing up, said Jaquilla was a friendly and intelligent child.

“I raised that baby,” McFarland said. “I used to call her little Quilla, because she was real thin, like a pen.”

The couple began dating about three years ago, according to their families.

They were both well-known in their southeast Houston community, where they grew up together. Dozens of neighbors and friends crowded behind the police tape in front of their house the morning they were killed, waiting for hours for police to identify the victims.

Both Mathews and Dixon have adult children. Ray Dixon said his sister’s children were shocked to hear of the shooting.

“This is crazy,” he said. “It shouldn’t happen to nobody.”

Their deaths are a big loss for the community, said Dixon, adding it’s especially painful because they were betrayed by someone they trusted.

“This young guy, they were raising him and trying to help him out (and) give him a better life,” he said. “I have no idea why he did what he did, but it’s uncalled for.”