Police in Texas believe they have finally found the person responsible for the shooting death of a 32-year-old man whose body was discovered in January 2022. Brandon O’Quinn Rasberry hadn’t reported to work for two days when his employer called the owner of the Lazy J RV Park in Nixon where he resided. The owner knocked on the door several times and entered the residence when the man didn’t answer. Inside, he discovered Rasberry dead of an apparent gunshot wound.
According to a release from the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office, deputies immediately began investigating Rasberry’s death. There were no breaks in the case until April 12, 2024, when they received a call from the Nixon Smiley Independent School District principal about a 10-year-old boy who had threatened another student. The child also reportedly gave details linking him to Rasberry’s death.
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Police immediately began investigating Rasberry’s death at the time.
Police said at the time that Rasberry was shot one time in the head and that authorities collected multiple pieces of evidence at the scene. They sent items to the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Management in Austin for extensive analysis.
Police also obtained search warrants, “for GEO Location data on Brandon’s Cellular Phone as well as any other cell phones in the area at the time of the murder, that didn’t provide any new leads,” the news release noted.
His death was deemed a homicide.
After an autopsy conducted by the Travis County Medical Examiner's office, it was determined Rasberry died from a single gunshot wound in the head. He had two minor graze wounds on his fingers that didn’t contribute to his death, according to the news release. The coroner stated that Raspberry had been dead for approximately two days before police arrived at his home, and his death was ruled a homicide.
For more than two years, the case had little movement.
Per the sheriff's department, Rasberry had lived in the RV park for only a few days before his death. Investigators talked to potential witnesses, but nothing brought police any closer to his killer until the call from the school district on April 12. The district claimed the 10-year-old student had threatened to assault and kill another student on the bus the night before. Deputies were asked to come to the school to make a report, according to the news release.
During their investigation, the child allegedly made a shocking admission.
He reportedly made a statement to school officials, leading them to believe he may have been involved in Rasberry’s death. The deputy contacted the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, and the child was taken to the child advocacy center for an interview, where he reportedly gave details about killing Rasberry. He was said to have information consistent with evidence from the scene.
“The ten year old stated he obtained a pistol from the glove box of his grandfather’s truck. The child described the pistol as a 9 millimeter pistol ‘dirt and army green’ in color. The child informed investigators he then entered the RV belonging to Brandon," the release reads. "The Child stated he observed Brandon sleeping in his bed and approached Brandon and discharged the firearm into Brandon striking him one time in the head. The child indicated as he was leaving the RV he discharged the firearm another time into the couch inside the RV. The child then exited the RV and returned the firearm to the glovebox of the truck.”
The child’s grandfather reportedly pawned the gun, but police were able to retrieve it and link it to the crime.
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The child was only 7 years old at the time of the crime and will not be charged with murder.
According to Texas Penal Code 8.07, a child does not have criminal culpability until he reaches the age of 10. The boy will not face charges related to Rasberry’s death, but he was charged in the bus-threatening incident.
“The child was transported to a psychiatric hospital in San Antonio, Texas for evaluation and treatment. Upon release from the hospital the child was transported from San Antonio to the Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office," the sheriff's department's news release noted. "Once at the Sheriff’s Office the child was booked in on charges relating to the school bus incident for Terroristic Threat (Texas Penal Code 22.07) and the child was placed in detention by Gonzales County Juvenile Probation to await his court date at a later time.”
