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Bloodstained shirt links man to slaying of elderly Sharpstown woman

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Cavalas Prater, 35, was taken into custody for the murder of Su-Jung Teng, 79

Cavalas Prater, 35, was taken into custody for the murder of Su-Jung Teng, 79

HPD via Ch. 11

A bloodstained shirt helped police link a man accused of choking his mother to the slaying last week of a 79-year-old Sharpstown woman who was attacked as she was gardening in her backyard.

Police arrested Cavalas Prater in the attack of his mother on Friday. When Prater was taken into custody for that case, a patrol officer noticed blood on the long-sleeve T-shirt he wore. The shirt, authorities said, appeared to match the description of the shirt worn by the person who on April 29 attacked and killed Su-Jung Teng.

The woman had been working on her garden in the 7800 block of Hiawatha and went into the garage when, about 5:30 p.m., Prater walked through a closed gate in the backyard. The 34-year-old man began attacking her, said Robert Klementich, a homicide investigator with the Houston Police Department.

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Teng's husband heard his wife screaming and ran to help her, but could not overpower the attacker.

Klementich said Prater dragged Teng into the house, where he grabbed a pair of scissors. He dragged her into the bathroom and locked the door. Prater stabbed Teng and choked her, saying nothing during the attack, the investigator said. Teng died in the bathroom.

Teng's husband called 911, but the man ran before officers arrived.

At a news conference on Tuesday announcing the arrest, Klementich said investigators so far have no motive in the case.

Prather is charged with capital murder. According to the criminal compliant filed against him, Prater killed the woman while trying to burglarize the couple's home.

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The Teng family doesn't know Prater, and nothing was taken from the home.

Klementich said people in the area told investigators Prater was homeless and often was seen standing outside a nearby gasoline station. He reportedly has mental health issues, Klementich added. "I believe this to be a random act of violence by a crazy, demented person," Klementich said.

In the incident involving his mother, Prater is charged with assault family member-impending breathing, according to court records.

Klementich said Prater allegedly broke into his mother's north Houston home through a window and began choking her. The woman's roommate heard the commotion and rushed to help her. When he pulled Prater off the woman, he ran.

The roommate jumped onto his bicycle and followed Prater, pointing him out to police officers who were responding to a 911 call about the attack. So far, investigators don't know what sparked the incident. He reportedly said nothing during the attack.

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Court records show Prater has several criminal cases in Harris County dating back to 1998, including convictions for marijuana possession, theft and assault on a family member.

He is in the Harris County Jail without bail.

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Dale has worked at the Houston Chronicle as a reporter since 2000, when he moved to Houston from New Mexico. As a General Assignment reporter, he has covered criminal and civil trials, City Hall matters, environmental issues and many other news stories. He also has written human-interest features. Among his stories are breaking news reports from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and from Galveston during Hurricane Ike. He also reported from east Texas during the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster. Currently, he handles breaking news, including homicides, fires and other fast-breaking stories.