HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (TCN) — A 36-year-old man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly killing the contractor working on his girlfriend’s house and hiding the body in a box.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a statement that on May 16 at approximately 11 a.m., deputies responded to the 4000 block of Tim Allen Court after receiving multiple calls about a hit-and-run crash. Around the same time, the driver informed law enforcement that he found a body at a nearby home.
The man reportedly told deputies that Steven Eberly offered him money to move furniture. When he went to Eberly’s residence, he reportedly found a body in a box, which caused him to flee in Eberly’s truck with Eberly in the truck bed. The man hit a car, and Eberly allegedly got out and ran away. Deputies apprehended Eberly and arrested him. He was taken to the hospital before being booked into the Harris County Jail on charges of murder and tampering with evidence.
Homicide detectives determined the victim was a contractor, Luis Silva Mendez, who was working on Eberly’s residence. KPRC-TV reports Eberly’s girlfriend owns the house where Silva Mendez’s body was found, and the victim was working on one of her bathrooms when the incident occurred.
Court documents allege Eberly fatally stabbed the victim on or around May 16 and wrapped the body in a blanket.