Children orphaned on Halloween when ‘Mike Myers’ gunman kills their dad weeks after mother’s homicide
Three children are without their parents following a shooting believed to have been committed by man wearing a ‘Halloween‘ Michael Myers mask.
The murder happened on Thursday night at the Houston home of Eric Pait, who was found lying in the garage with multiple bullet wounds at about 11:15pm.
Only weeks ago, the 38-year-old’s estranged wife, Carman Peterson, was gunned down at her own apartment – shot to death in her bed as she slept. The killer is still at-large.
The same is the case in the incident surrounding Pait, with the only suspect a man seen walking in the area wearing a mask from the horror movie.
Two children were found unharmed in the home, cops said – adding in a statement how another, a toddler, was away with a relative. Most notably, cops looked into Pait as a person of interest in Peterson’s murder, but never pegged him as a suspect.
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Cops in Houston are on the hunt for man wearing a ‘Halloween’ Michael Myers mask, who witnesses say shot 38-year-old Eric Pait to death in his own garage on Thursday night
Just weeks ago, the 38-year-old’s estranged wife, Carman Peterson (seen here with Pait), was gunned down at her own apartment – shot to death in her bed as she slept. The pair married in April 2019
‘Are we a hundred percent sure that this is that person who did it? No,’ said Sgt. Michael Ritchie, as Harris County detectives remained at the scene well into Friday Morning.
‘But yes, there was someone wearing a Michael Myers Halloween mask.
‘Someone of that description was seen in the area during the shooting,’ he added at another point from the scene.
‘Again, we’re reviewing video, processing the scene, interviewing witnesses to gather as much evidence as we can.’
Witnesses went on to tell KHOU the man in the Myers mask – seen skulking near the scene in CCTV footage – walked up the victim while he was in the garage on Halloween night.
Peterson filed for divorce against Pait this past March, moving out at some point. The killer remains at-large
Pait was named as a person of interest in Peterson’s murder, but he was never officially named a suspect
The murder happened around 11pm, after which the homeowner was found lying in the garage with multiple bullet wounds
He then began shooting, they said – recalling how the bombardment of bullets came seemingly without warning.
‘I was in my room, and I heard about three or four shots, and it was so loud that I thought it was my backdoor neighbors but it was over there,’ Monica Melgar told the station.
‘Things like that don’t happen in this neighborhood.’
The woman added: ‘I’d like to think that someone’s not just randomly going out and killing anyone that’s outside – but it still makes you want to stay inside a little bit.’
Pait, meanwhile, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The same was said for Peterson back in August, after she was shot and killed as she slept in her new apartment not far from the home she shared with her husband.
‘I never thought that I would walk in on my sister, you know, just laying in a bed murdered,’ her sister Kimberly White told reporters following Pait’s murder, as both cases remain unsolved.
The two had three kids together, two of whom were at home when the murder occurred. None were injured, and the third was away with a relative, cops said
Witnesses recalled how the masked man began shooting without warning, after walking up to the deceased as he stood in his garage
Witnesses went on to tell KHOU the man in the Myers mask – seen skulking near the scene in CCTV footage – walked up the victim while he was in the garage
‘It was heartbreaking and devastating. I never thought I would walk in on my sister murdered…with that many bullet holes,’ she tearfully continued.
‘She was shot over five times, so it was personal,’ fellow sister Margaret Starghill said of the state the event planner had been found in.
‘Nothing was taken. It is somebody that had the motive to kill her because they hated her so much.’
Both added how Peterson had just filed for divorce in March, as the connection between both cases remains unclear, and homicide investigators continue to look to find a link. The pair married in April 2019, a page promoting their wedding shows.
Peterson had just filed for divorce in March, as the connection between both cases remains unclear,
The victim’s sister, Margaret Starghill and Kimberly White, on Friday again aired their beleif the August murder was personal, committed by someone who knew Peterson. Both cases remain unsolved
Cops are looking for a link, as a suspect has yet to be named in Peterson’s case. She recently moved out of the house and into their own apartment, family said
Meanwhile, cops looked into Pait as a person of interest in the case surrounding Peterson, but never named him as a suspect.
A suspect has yet to be named in Peterson’s case, and the man with with Michael Myers mask remains at large.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Department for comment, as both cases remain under investigation.
