A Texas man suspected to be involved in the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old nursing student and Nepal native, Muna Pandey, was arrested and charged with capital murder, authorities say.
“I can only imagine what Muna's mother is going through being halfway across the world, so I wanted them to know what would happen in court, what they could expect,” said Prosecutor Rebecca Marshall, according to Daily Mail.
Houston Police Department tracked down 51-year-old Bobby Singh Shah after receiving a tip from a woman who recognized the suspect from a Sugar Daddy website, a platform for connecting women with men who are willing to splurge for sexual favors.
On Aug. 24, an unknown male had called Pandey’s apartment manager to inform him of a body in the victim’s residence and then hung up abruptly. Upon arrival of the police, Pandey’s body was found with three gunshot wounds to her torso and one to the back of the head. During the investigation, authorities retrieved video footage from the apartment from a security camera purchased by the victim. Pandey’s friend told investigators the defendant had been stalking the international student before the fatal incident.
After authorities released the footage to the public, which showed Pandey arriving at her apartment with shopping bags and Shah forcing her into the residence at gunpoint, the victim’s former employer at a restaurant identified the defendant as a regular patron at his establishment and the perpetrator. In addition, another woman identified Shah from the Sugar Daddy website.
Another neighbor heard a loud “loud thump” the day Pandey was last seen.
Two days later, during a traffic stop, Shah was immediately arrested and held without bond. At the time, the defendant was still wearing the blood-stained clothes he wore on the day of the incident, as seen in the video footage.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist Pandey’s mother, Anita, who lives in Nepal, in obtaining a flight to Houston to say goodbye to her daughter. So far, over $37,000 has been raised.
"No mother should have to face such heartbreak, especially from so far away," stated the victim’s mother, reported People.
The defendant is also facing a charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon.
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