Two chefs from Aransas Pass were found shot to death inside an abandoned vehicle on May 8, 2023. The bodies of 26-year-old Xxavier Richard Marchus (also reported as Xxavier Marcus in some accounts) and 27-year-old Brandon Barboza were discovered inside a white Nissan SUV in brush near the Moose Lodge on FM 2725, between Aransas Pass and Ingleside, Texas. Investigators say both men were shot at a different location before their bodies were left in the SUV.

Both victims worked as chefs at Roosevelt’s Fine Dining in Port Aransas and were described by colleagues as well regarded and proud of their culinary skills. Authorities identified 30-year-old Maurice Sample, a coworker who lived in the same apartment complex, as a suspect; he left Aransas Pass the morning of the shootings and was later located and arrested in Maryland on a murder warrant issued by San Patricio County. An online memorial for Xxavier Marchus has been created and the community remains in mourning.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Patricio County Sheriff’s Office at (361) 364-9600.