‘True Evil,’ Richland Hills Police Say Boy’s Grandfather is Lone Suspect in His Murder

A Richland Hills man remains in custody and is the lone suspect in the stabbing death of his 8-year-old grandson, police say.

During a news conference Wednesday afternoon, investigators with the Richland Hills Police Department confirmed that 8-year-old Brenym McDonald was found dead on Jan. 1 and that the suspect is 62-year-old Phillip Hughes, his grandfather.

Chief of Police Kimberly Sylvester said Hughes shared a home on Labadie Drive with his grandson and the child’s parents but stopped short of revealing any motive for the boy’s death or saying if there was any tension in the home, citing the ongoing investigation.

There is true evil in this world and our community has experienced this with Brenym’s death. We will do everything in our power and authority to work with the district attorney to hold this suspect accountable for his actions.

Kimberly Sylvester, Richland Hills Chief of Police

Sylvester said she expects to turn the case over to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office by the end of the week.

“Words cannot begin to express our frustration and sadness that we are all feeling as a result of this case, nor can any word spoken heal the pain that comes with the loss of a child. Brenym had his whole life ahead of him. He was a smart and talented young boy who loved to sketch and draw,” said Sylvester, who met with the child’s parents and family a day before.

She said she wanted to send her condolences and the family provided a picture of their son, which was displayed during the news conference.

“As police officers, as much as we experience through our profession and our career, it’s never easy to hear that a child’s life has been lost in such a tragic way,” said Sylvester.

Hughes has been charged with capital murder of a person under 10. Punishment for capital murder in Texas is either life in prison without parole or the death penalty. Hughes is currently being held in the Tarrant County Jail on bonds totaling $2 million. It’s not clear if Hughes has obtained an attorney.

BOY’S STABBING REPORTED ON NEW YEAR’S DAY

Richland Hills Police Officers were called to the family’s home on the 3500 block of Labadie Drive at about 7:50 a.m. on Jan. 1 after a parent called 911 saying their child had been stabbed.

Because of the ongoing investigation, Sylvester wouldn’t confirm whether a commotion or struggle led the parent to find the child but did say that the person who called 911 identified the boy’s grandfather as his attacker and said the boy was not home alone with his grandparent when he was killed.

As officers drove toward the home, one happened upon the boy’s grandfather walking away from the residence and took him into custody without incident, which was caught on a neighbor’s Ring camera.

“Actually the officer that you see in the Ring video that was driving down was actually one of the later officers coming to the scene to assist in the search of the suspect and happened to be driving down that road on the way to that area when he was flagged down by the suspect,” explained Sylvester.

Sheena McEachran, public information officer for the Richland Hills Police Department, said other officers arriving at the home went inside and found the boy deceased in a bedroom. Officers also reported finding an unspecified weapon near the boy’s body that was believed to have caused his injuries.

A preliminary report from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner indicated the child’s cause of death was “sharp force injuries of the neck and chest,” though a final report has yet to be released.

McEachran said investigators understand that there are many questions from the public about why or how the boy was killed but stressed that details were still being gathered and that the investigation is ongoing. She reiterated, however, that the investigation so far has only revealed one suspect and that that person is in custody.

Richland Hills Police were hesitant to offer further details, citing the ongoing capital murder investigation.

Of Hughes, McEachran said he had no arrest history in Richland Hills and no known history of violence. His last contact with the police department was in 2021 when he filed complaints about animals and parking.

Court records show Hughes was arrested for driving while intoxicated, a DWI, in October 2009 by Hurst Police. He was sentenced in September 2020 to 90 days in jail and a year of probation.

NBC 5 confirmed Wednesday that CPS, which has also opened an investigation in the case, had no history with the family.

Brenym attended school in the Birdville ISD and Sylvester said school officials were working to provide support to students and faculty who knew him.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Richland Hills detectives at [email protected].

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