HOUSTON, TX – In Houston, Texas, authorities have apprehended a 24-year-old man, James Lewis Spencer III, who is accused of murdering a registered sex offender. Arrested without incident by the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force on Wednesday, Spencer stands accused of orchestrating the targeted attack.
On the morning of May 29, 2023, a passing motorist came across a body in a ditch on the 900 block of Northwood Street. The victim, 37-year-old Sean Connery Showers, was subsequently identified.
Surveillance footage revealed a car pulling up around 3:50 a.m., halting briefly, and discharging numerous shots described as “automatic-like” before speeding away. Evidence from Showers’ phone, found underneath his body, indicated a prearranged meeting at Montie Beach Park.
Rehman Merchant, the chief prosecutor for the 179th District Court, clarified the communication contents between Spencer and Showers on a social media application as sexually oriented. According to him, Spencer could have posed as an underage individual during their online exchange.
Historically, Showers was prosecuted for child pornography possession in 2009 and sentenced to 30 months imprisonment and lifetime registration as a sex offender. His criminal record continued in 2019 with a failure to comply as a sex offender conviction, landing him a two-year prison tenure.
Investigators, guided by phone records to Spencer, were informed by his girlfriend about remarks that he had made regarding pedophiles. According to the latter, Spencer’s frustration with law enforcement’s attempt to keep pedophiles behind bars led to him contemplating harming such individuals.
Despite his phone being tracked to the crime scene and the confession of multiple visits to the murder site, the investigation is ongoing. Authorities are still scrutinizing the suspect’s phone records to discern potential links with other cases.
A bond of $250,000 has been set for Spencer. If released, he would be subjected to house arrest. The district attorney’s office has moved for bond denial due to Spencer’s concurrent possession of a controlled substance charge in Brazoria County. His next court appearance is slated for February 5.