A Houston man allegedly lured a convicted sex offender to his death in what is being described as a possible case of vigilante justice.
James Lewis Spencer III, 24, is charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Sean Connery Showers, 37, who was found unresponsive, lying in a ditch near a park on Northwood Street, in the early morning hours of May 29, 2023, according to the Houston Police Department.
Spencer allegedly told someone "he believed the police were not doing enough to keep pedophiles incarcerated," and he wanted to "rob and harm those types of men [because] they would do bad things to little children and other people," an affidavit filed in Harris County last week states.
Surveillance camera footage shows a vehicle slowing down near the victim and then "a string of rapid gunshots" coming from the vehicle before it speeds off, according to Houston police.
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About a month after the murder, "Defendant made [the] same comment that ‘if the cops were not going to do anything maybe he should kill them himself,’" referring to pedophiles, the affidavit states.
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Houston police arrested Spencer on Jan. 31 in connection with the shooting that took place last May.
Authorities said Spencer posed as a minor online and communicated with Showers to discuss his prior sexual history with minors and a meeting location. Cellphone records apparently show Spencer moving to and from the murder location, police said.
Spencer admitted to owning the cellphone used to communicate with Showers, and he also admitted to being in the area of the crime scene a few times, according to police.
When Showers was 23, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, according to FOX 26 Houston.
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Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers Houston told FOX 26 that Showers had "some egregious child pornography of young children doing sexual acts that we can't say on the air."
He failed to register as a sex offender. Later on, in 2018, he was sent to prison for two years after entering a high school during normal operating hours and without notifying the administrator's office, FOX 26 reported.
A Harris County judge on Monday raised Spencer's bond amount from $250,000 to $350,000.
