Authorities reported that An elderly man has been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of his roommate and her dog in AustinTexas.
Shortly before 2:00 pm on November 18, Austin Police Department officers were called to a home in reference to a deceased person.
When officers arrived, they found a woman, later identified as 83-year-old Linda Mlsna, and a dog dead inside the home. Mlsna had not been heard from for six days, according to court documents obtained by FOX 7 Austin.
APD homicide detective Israel Peña said at a news conference on Nov. 21 that a neighbor had approached the home and detected an “odor consistent with decomposition and fly or insect activity on the windows of the residence.” ”.
A family member who lived in the area also reported entering the home and Mlsna found in a downstairs closet with a dead dog on top of heraccording to court documents.
When Austin officers entered the home, they also found a broken piece of furniture and additional evidence of a disturbance, which Pena said confirmed officers’ belief that his death was a homicide.
Initial research showed that Mlsna’s roommate, Jack Moore, 84, was not home and no one knew where he was.. However, investigators later discovered that Moore allegedly used Mlsna’s credit cards to make fraudulent purchases after his death.
Officers eventually managed to find Moore and arrested him on an unrelated warrant.
During an interview with detectives, Moore allegedly confessed to killing Mlsna and her dog, taking her credit cards and making a plan to flee the country.
Moore also told police he was afraid Mlsna’s family would move her to a nursing home due to her advanced age and claimed he knew she wanted to live in the home until her death. She also admitted to killing her dog because she wanted him to be with her forever, according to the arrest affidavit via FOX 7.
A search warrant at the home uncovered blood in several areas and a cell phone belonging to Mlsna, which displayed several text message alerts from several financial institutions about suspicious purchases made with several of his credit cards, all over an eight-year period. days in a store, the report reads.
Mlsna’s family told police that Moore had been stealing money from them.
Police went to the store linked to the robbery to obtain surveillance video of several of the purchases and discovered that Moore had allegedly purchased 36 gift cards in 21 separate transactions. Police said several of those purchases were made during the time Mlsna was known to be dead.
Moore was arrested by U.S. Marshals for violating his probation for vehicle theft at an apartment about three and a half miles from Mlsna’s home.
A search of the apartment where Moore was arrested uncovered more than 30 gift cards and receipts, credit cards issued in Mlsna’s name and women’s jewelry, according to the affidavit.
During the investigation it was also discovered that Moore had an extensive criminal recordincluding bank robberies and time served in prison.
Moore was arrested on a charge of first-degree murder and violation of probation for vehicle theft. He is currently being held in the Travis County Jail on $1 million bail.
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