Joshua Nareau gave a eulogy for his murdered grandfather after he was shot and killed in front of his home in Port Charlotte, Florida, on December 28.
However, on Thursday, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office arrested Nareau, 23, and charged him with James Khoury's murder.
Nareau Told Investigators He Rushed from His House After Grandmother Told Him About Khoury's Murder
The 71-year-old Khoury's wife, Lynda Khoury, called 911 just after 5 a.m. that day to say that her husband had been shot. Deputies arrived and found him with a gunshot wound to the chest, his own gun holstered at his hip, and his lunchbox next to him. He was pronounced dead.
The deputies found Nareau sitting in the yard by the house, Law&Crime reported. According to a probable cause affidavit, he told them when his grandmother called him, he rushed over from his own house nearby. He also said she told him there may be a sniper outside. Detectives noted in the affidavit that Lynda Khoury never mentioned anything about a sniper.
She said her husband was leaving for work, and she gave him a kiss as he walked out the door. Seconds later, she told deputies, she heard a gunshot and heard James Khoury call out to her. She found him with a gunshot to the chest and "knew he was dead." She ran back inside and called 911, then Nareau, who told deputies he'd been in bed asleep when she called.
Investigators checked Nareau's phone records and found that his grandmother had called him after the shooting. But the phone data also indicated he had walked several hundred yards around the time of the shooting — roughly the distance to his grandparents' home and back, according to the affidavit. However, the activity allegedly occurred when he told deputies he had been in bed and before his grandma called him.
Lab Reports Confirmed Bullet Fired from Gun Owned by Nareau
Deputies also found a projectile in a tree on the property. It's also the same location where Nareau would have come from to get to his grandparent's house, deputies said.
An analysis of the projectile found in the tree showed it could have come from a "Savage" bolt action rifle which Nareau owns. On Feb. 14, the lab results confirmed the projectile came from Nareau's rifle, the affidavit said.
"I am glad to finally be able to bring an update to you on this terrible incident. As you can see, even though we were not able to share much with you, my detectives and forensics team did a great job and we had a direction for the investigation and ultimately got the person responsible," Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement.
"This does not make it any easier for the family of the victim, who now have even more grief to cope with, but I hope it brings peace of mind to the community once more. Please pray for Mr. Khoury's family as they navigate this unthinkable situation." Police did not provide a motive for the murder.
Nareau's Eulogy for James Khoury
At the funeral, Nareau said that Khoury was a father to him.
"He made me the person I am today," he said. "You are all here because you knew and loved my grandfather and I thank you so much for that. My goal in life is to be as good as this man was. He helped everyone in this room in some way and I know that."Nareau is being held in the Charlotte County Jail on a charge of second-degree murder without bond and is due in court on Wednesday.
Nareau is being held in the Charlotte County Jail on a charge of second-degree murder without bond and is due in court on Wednesday.
