News Alert

Son is charged in murder of his mother at River Oaks home

UPDATE: John Shank is in Harris County Jail, charged with the murder of his mother, Nancy Hiller Shank. He is being held on a $500,000 bond and will appear in court on Thursday.

--------------------

Houston police are investigating a stabbing death in the River Oaks area. The River Oaks Patrol, a private guard service, sent out the following information to residents:

"A domestic disturbance resulted in the death of an individual in the 3700 block of Overbrook — just outside of the River Oaks area a short time ago. Time is currently 1:27pm on Wednesday. The possible suspect has been taken into custody by the Harris County Sheriffs Department at I-10 and the Beltway just moments ago.

There is very little information avaliable at this time. This message is intended to advise all in the River Oaks area of the event. It appears that the situation has been concluded. More information will be broadcast as it becomes available."

Channel 13 reports that neighbors heard screams coming from the Roydon Oaks home just after noon and ran to help. A woman was fatally stabbed and a suspect, believed to be the victim's 20-year-old son, drove off. He was arrested near the Katy Freeway and West Beltway. He reportedly surrendered to police after his father reached him on a cell phone.

The victim's name has not been released. Harris County Appraisal District records indicate the home is owned by Daniel and Nancy Shank.

Neighbors said the son had tried to jump off the roof of the house a couple of days ago but was talked down. A police spokesman said the son, John Shank, had been hospitalized this year for mental health problems and that police had been called to the home.

unspecified

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

undefined

Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”