Corey Dekel Merrida was 39 when he was shot and killed outside an apartment in the 1800 block of Centerbrook Lane in Center Point shortly after 1:00 a.m. on October 26, 2016. Deputies found him suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators say Merrida had been staying at a friend’s apartment and briefly went outside to retrieve something from a car. While he was gone, two armed men and a woman allegedly forced their way into the apartment’s front door looking for the tenant. When Merrida returned through the back door he was shot and the three suspects fled. Authorities believe the intruders were motivated by a suspicion the tenant had stolen money from one of them.

33-year-old Carlesha Denise Cox of Center Point was arrested November 7, 2016, and charged in Merrida’s murder; she was released on a $100,000 bond pending trial. The two male suspects have not been identified and police are asking for the public’s help.

If anyone has information about the two unidentified men or the events that night, please come forward.