Siskiyoumom
Veteran Member
Brandon O'Quinn Rasberry had just moved to Nixon in Gonzales County, Texas. He was 32 years old.
He had been working at Holmes Foods in Nixon for about 3 months. On January 18, 2022, after he hadn't shown up to work for 2 days in a row, his boss called the Lazy J RV Park and Ranch, where he had moved 4 days prior. The owner of the RV Park repeatedly knocked on Brandon's door, but did not receive an answer. He then entered the RV. The owner discovered Brandon deceased.
Responding deputies from the Gonzales County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) discovered Brandon had been murdered. Several items of evidence were collected and sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory in Austin, Texas, for forensic analysis. Search warrants were also written for GEO Location data on Brandon's cell phone, as well as any other cell phones in the area at the time of the murder. This did not provide any new leads.
An autopsy was performed by the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office in Austin. The results showed that Brandon had been shot in the head one time. He also had a minor graze wound on his right middle finger and another on his left index finger. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound of the head and the manner of death was homicide. It was estimated that Brandon had been deceased for approximately two days prior to his discovery.
During the investigation, all possible witnesses were spoken to and all leads were exhausted.
Fast forward to Friday, April 12, 2024.
The GCSO received a call from a Nixon Smiley Independent School District principal. The principal reported that on the previous evening, Thursday, April 11, 2024, a ten-year-old male student had threatened to assault and murder another student on a bus. The school district conducted a threat assessment on the student. As a result, they contacted the GCSO. A deputy was dispatched to the school to conduct an investigation.
When the deputy arrived, he was informed by school officials that the child had made a statement that he had shot and killed a man two years ago.
The deputy then contacted the GCSO Criminal Investigation Division. Investigators determined based on the information the child had given the school that he may have knowledge about the murder of Brandon.
The child was transported to a child advocacy center where a forensic interview was conducted. During this interview, the ten-year-old child described in detail that two years prior he had shot and killed a man in a trailer in Nixon, Texas, providing information that was consistent with first-hand knowledge of the murder of Brandon Rasberry.
The child stated that on the afternoon of January 16, 2022, he was visiting his grandfather who lived a few lots away from Brandon in the Lazy J RV Park and Ranch. The child stated he obtained a pistol from the glove box of his grandfather's truck, describing it as a 9 millimeter pistol that was "dirt and army green" in color.
The child informed investigators that he then entered Brandon's RV and observed him sleeping in his bed. He then approached Brandon and discharged the firearm into Brandon, striking him once in the head. The child stated that he discharged the firearm once more as he was leaving the RV, firing it at the couch. He then exited the RV and returned the firearm to the glovebox of his grandfather's truck.
Although he had observed him walking around the RV earlier that day, the child stated he had never met Brandon and did not know who he was. When asked if he was mad at Brandon, or if Brandon had ever done anything to him to make him mad, the child stated no.
On Friday, April 12, 2024, investigators located the firearm used to murder Brandon at a pawn shop in Seguin, Texas. During the interview, the child informed investigators that the gun had been pawned by his grandfather. Investigators enlisted the help of the Gonzales County Attorney's Office, the Texas Department of Child Protective Services, and Gonzales County Juvenile Probation to aid in the investigation. On April 17, 2024, investigators transported two spent shell casings that were collected from the scene of the murder to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms San Antonio Field Office for forensic analysis and comparison. It was confirmed that the firearm was used to commit the murder of Brandon Rasberry.
Because of the severity of the crime and because of the continued concern for the child's mental wellbeing, the child was placed on a 72-hour emergency detention. The child was transported to a psychiatric hospital in San Antonio, Texas, for evaluation and treatment. Upon release from the hospital, the child was transported from San Antonio to the GCSO. The child was then booked in on charges relating to the school bus incident for Terroristic Threat (Texas Penal Code 22.07) and the child was placed in detention by Gonzales County Juvenile Probation to await his court date at a later time.
Because of the child's age, Texas Penal Code 8.07 states that a child does not have criminal culpability until they reach the age of 10. At the time of the murder, the child was seven years old, one week shy of his eighth birthday.
Thus, murder charges will not be filed and cannot be accepted by the Gonzales County Attorney's Office for consideration of prosecution in accordance with state law.
Sources:
gonzalesinquirer.com
gonzalesinquirer.com
He had been working at Holmes Foods in Nixon for about 3 months. On January 18, 2022, after he hadn't shown up to work for 2 days in a row, his boss called the Lazy J RV Park and Ranch, where he had moved 4 days prior. The owner of the RV Park repeatedly knocked on Brandon's door, but did not receive an answer. He then entered the RV. The owner discovered Brandon deceased.
Responding deputies from the Gonzales County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) discovered Brandon had been murdered. Several items of evidence were collected and sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory in Austin, Texas, for forensic analysis. Search warrants were also written for GEO Location data on Brandon's cell phone, as well as any other cell phones in the area at the time of the murder. This did not provide any new leads.
An autopsy was performed by the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office in Austin. The results showed that Brandon had been shot in the head one time. He also had a minor graze wound on his right middle finger and another on his left index finger. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound of the head and the manner of death was homicide. It was estimated that Brandon had been deceased for approximately two days prior to his discovery.
During the investigation, all possible witnesses were spoken to and all leads were exhausted.
Fast forward to Friday, April 12, 2024.
The GCSO received a call from a Nixon Smiley Independent School District principal. The principal reported that on the previous evening, Thursday, April 11, 2024, a ten-year-old male student had threatened to assault and murder another student on a bus. The school district conducted a threat assessment on the student. As a result, they contacted the GCSO. A deputy was dispatched to the school to conduct an investigation.
When the deputy arrived, he was informed by school officials that the child had made a statement that he had shot and killed a man two years ago.
The deputy then contacted the GCSO Criminal Investigation Division. Investigators determined based on the information the child had given the school that he may have knowledge about the murder of Brandon.
The child was transported to a child advocacy center where a forensic interview was conducted. During this interview, the ten-year-old child described in detail that two years prior he had shot and killed a man in a trailer in Nixon, Texas, providing information that was consistent with first-hand knowledge of the murder of Brandon Rasberry.
The child stated that on the afternoon of January 16, 2022, he was visiting his grandfather who lived a few lots away from Brandon in the Lazy J RV Park and Ranch. The child stated he obtained a pistol from the glove box of his grandfather's truck, describing it as a 9 millimeter pistol that was "dirt and army green" in color.
The child informed investigators that he then entered Brandon's RV and observed him sleeping in his bed. He then approached Brandon and discharged the firearm into Brandon, striking him once in the head. The child stated that he discharged the firearm once more as he was leaving the RV, firing it at the couch. He then exited the RV and returned the firearm to the glovebox of his grandfather's truck.
Although he had observed him walking around the RV earlier that day, the child stated he had never met Brandon and did not know who he was. When asked if he was mad at Brandon, or if Brandon had ever done anything to him to make him mad, the child stated no.
On Friday, April 12, 2024, investigators located the firearm used to murder Brandon at a pawn shop in Seguin, Texas. During the interview, the child informed investigators that the gun had been pawned by his grandfather. Investigators enlisted the help of the Gonzales County Attorney's Office, the Texas Department of Child Protective Services, and Gonzales County Juvenile Probation to aid in the investigation. On April 17, 2024, investigators transported two spent shell casings that were collected from the scene of the murder to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms San Antonio Field Office for forensic analysis and comparison. It was confirmed that the firearm was used to commit the murder of Brandon Rasberry.
Because of the severity of the crime and because of the continued concern for the child's mental wellbeing, the child was placed on a 72-hour emergency detention. The child was transported to a psychiatric hospital in San Antonio, Texas, for evaluation and treatment. Upon release from the hospital, the child was transported from San Antonio to the GCSO. The child was then booked in on charges relating to the school bus incident for Terroristic Threat (Texas Penal Code 22.07) and the child was placed in detention by Gonzales County Juvenile Probation to await his court date at a later time.
Because of the child's age, Texas Penal Code 8.07 states that a child does not have criminal culpability until they reach the age of 10. At the time of the murder, the child was seven years old, one week shy of his eighth birthday.
Thus, murder charges will not be filed and cannot be accepted by the Gonzales County Attorney's Office for consideration of prosecution in accordance with state law.
Sources:
Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office investigates homicide near Nixon - The Gonzales Inquirer
A statement released by the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the Texas Rangers are assisting in an active investigation into a homicide that occurred in Nixon on January 18, …
gonzalesinquirer.com
Rasberry homicide still unsolved one year later - The Gonzales Inquirer
It has been nearly a year since Brandon O’Quinn Rasberry was found dead at a Nixon area RV park and the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers are continuing to look for who …
gonzalesinquirer.com
