There has been an arrest in the murder of Sarah Anne Walker, the McKinney, Texas real estate agent. Kosul Chanthakoummane was arrested Tuesday for the murder after a 2 month search. The murder was a wake up call to the real estate community which has gotten lax in its security plans for open houses.
Kosoul Chanthakoummane, 25, was arrested on a charge of capital murder late Tuesday in connection with the death of Sarah Anne Walker, said Capt. Randy Roland of the McKinney Police Department. Chanthakoummane was arrested at his Dallas apartment and was being held Wednesday morning on $1 million bond, Roland said.
A house-hunting couple found Walker’s body July 8 in the kitchen of a model home in the fast-growing suburb of McKinney, about 30 miles north of Dallas. The 40-year-old agent had been stabbed 27 times in what detective described as an unusually ferocious attack.
The slaying rattled real estate agents who work open houses alone and worried nearby residents living in the kind of new, extravagant homes Walker sold.
Roland said a combination of detective work, witness statements and forensic evidence led investigators to Chanthakoummane. The McKinney police released a composite sketch a couple of weeks ago based on witness statements, Roland said. The sketch prompted a tip that led police to Chanthakoummane, he said.
Roland said Chanthakoummane is the only suspect in the case.
Further details of the case, including a motive for the slaying or any possible relationship between Chanthakoummane and Walker, were not available early Wednesday. Roland said a press conference was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the arrest. via The Houston Chronicle.
Update: Reward Donor waiting for word on who to give reward to.
“Two weeks ago we released a composite drawing, and that immediately tickled a nerve or a memory in the back of somebody’s mind and they called the police department,” McKinney police Capt. Randy Roland said at a news conference with Ms. Walker’s family. “We interviewed them, and through that work we were able to get a name.”
Steve Nichols, owner of Steve Nichols Appraisal Service in Frisco, put up $10,000 toward a reward for information leading to an arrest in Ms. Walker’s murder. Mr. Nichols said he was “hopeful” when he heard the news of Tuesday’s arrest.
“I’d be real excited to think the reward money that was put up was part of finding the person,” he said.
More information from Steve Huff’s CrimeBlog – Some good information on Kosoul Chanthakoummane.
