MISSOURI CITY — A 17-year-old Elkins High School student is in custody and has confessed to the slaying of a convenience store clerk who was shot several times during a robbery last month, authorities said Wednesday.
Police said Raymond Whitcher, a junior at the school, was charged with murder in the death of Ashok Bhattarai, 21, who was killed Sept. 28 at the 1st Food Stop at 2563 Cartwright.
Bail was set at $1 million.
The slaying was captured on the store's video surveillance system.
The video shows a masked man walking into the store about 10 p.m. and immediately opening fire with a rifle.
Police said about $5,000 was stolen.
"The video we looked at was horrible," Capt. John Bailey said Wednesday. "The suspect in this case gave no warning to the clerk, gave the clerk no opportunity to escape.
Source:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6047426.html
"He just went in there and shot him," Bailey said.
Police said Bhattarai was shot with a .22-caliber rifle that resembles an AK-47.
Police said leads developed from informants and Fort Bend Crime Stoppers led to Whitcher's arrest Wednesday.
"Some of the things that helped our case is that the suspect started flashing large amounts of money at school, and people started talking," Bailey said.
Bailey said Whitcher is unemployed but paid cash for a car on Sunday.
"For a high school student with no job, we find that very interesting," Bailey said.
Whitcher is cooperating and has been leading investigators to different locations in the Missouri City area where detectives have recovered evidence.
Bailey said Whitcher was involved in a traffic accident last week unrelated to the slaying. Police asked him to come to the police station and discuss the accident, and while at headquarters, detectives asked him about the shooting.
"At that time, he offered us a full confession," Bailey said.
Last edited: 08-Oct-08 07:53 PM
