An elderly man has been arrested on suspicion of using a credit card to flee the country in what police described as the “brutal murder” of his roommate and his dog.
Just before 2 p.m. on Nov. 18, officers from the Austin Police Department were called to a home in reference to a deceased person.
When officers arrived, they found a woman, later identified as 83-year-old Linda Mursna, and her dog dead inside the home. According to court documents, he did not hear from Mursna for six days. Retrieved by FOX 7 Austin.
APD Homicide Detective Israel Pena said in a Nov. 21 press conference that a neighbor approached the home and detected “an odor consistent with decomposition and fly or insect activity in the windows of the residence.”
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Austin police have arrested and charged an elderly man with “extremely brutal” fatal injuries to his roommate and his dog. He then allegedly used her credit card to purchase several gift cards and planned to flee the country. (Austin Police Department)
A family member who lived locally also reported entering the home and finding Mrsna on top of a dead dog in a downstairs closet, according to court documents.
When Austin police officers entered the home, they also found broken furniture and further evidence of a disturbance, which Pena said supported the officers' belief that her death was a homicide.
Initial investigations revealed that Ms. Mursna's roommate, Jack Moore, 84, was not at home and no one knew where he was. However, investigators later discovered that Moore was suspected of using Mursna's credit card to make fraudulent purchases after her death.
Officers eventually located Moore and arrested him on an unrelated warrant.
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An 84-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after killing his elderly roommate and her dog, Austin police announced at a press conference. (Austin Police Department)
During questioning by detectives, Moore allegedly confessed to killing Mursna and her dog, stealing her credit cards and planning to flee the country.
Moore also told police that because of Ms. Mursna's age, she was worried that her family was planning to move her to a nursing home and that she knew she wanted to live at home until she died. insisted. He also admitted that he killed the dog because he wanted it to be with him forever. According to an arrest affidavit via FOX 7.
A search warrant found bloodstains in several locations and Mrsna's cell phone. It showed multiple text message alerts from various financial institutions about suspicious purchases made on her multiple credit cards over an eight-day period at one store. the report read.
Mrsna's family told police that Moore had been stealing money from her.
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Mrsna's death is being investigated as Austin's 63rd homicide of 2024. (Austin Police Department)
Police visited the stores involved in the thefts and obtained surveillance video of several purchases, where they discovered Moore allegedly purchased 36 gift cards in 21 separate transactions. Police said some of these purchases were made while Ms. Mursna was known to be dead.
Moore was arrested by U.S. Marshals on a parole violation after allegedly carjacking Mr. Mursna at an apartment complex about three and a half miles from her home.
A search of the apartment where Moore was arrested revealed more than 30 gift cards and receipts, credit cards issued to Mursna and women's jewelry, according to the affidavit.
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During the investigation, it was also discovered that Moore had an extensive criminal history, including bank robbery and serving time in prison.
Moore was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and parole violation for felony carjacking. He is currently being held in the Travis County Jail on $1 million bail.
Police say the incident is being investigated as Austin's 63rd homicide of 2024.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com.
