Man pays tribute at grandpa’s funeral. Now he’s charged in his death, Florida cops say
A grandson gave an emotional and touching tribute to his grandfather at his funeral in Florida after deputies said he was shot to death.
Now, he’s accused of killing him.
Lynda Khoury gave her husband, 71-year-old James Khoury, a kiss before he walked out the front door of his home Dec. 28 at about 5 a.m., according to an arrest report obtained by McClatchy News.
She heard a gunshot as he stepped outside and he called out to her, according to the report.
She pulled open the door and found him lying on the ground with a wound to his chest and his lunch box next to him, deputies said.
Deputies responded to the Englewood home shortly after, according to a Feb. 15 news release from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
As deputies checked on James Khoury, a man came walking up along the side of the house, according to the report, and he identified himself as Khoury’s 23-year-old grandson, Joshua Nareau.
Nareau said, and his grandmother confirmed, he got a call from his grandma immediately after she called the sheriff’s office, deputies said.
He lives nearby, about a four-minute walk away, and ran through paths that connected the homes as soon as got the call, according to the report. He told deputies he had been lying in bed watching YouTube videos when his phone rang.
On Dec. 30, investigators found a “projectile” lodged in a pine tree near the house and recovered it for forensic testing, according to the report.
The medical examiner determined James Khoury had been shot and killed using a rifle Jan. 3, according to the report, and a search of Nareau’s house revealed a gun safe with multiple weapons inside.
Details of the investigation were not yet released when a funeral for James Khoury was held by the First Baptist Church of North Port on Jan. 7.
During the service, which was recorded and posted to YouTube, Nareau is called to the podium to say a few words about his grandfather.
“Jim, I called him ‘grampy,’ by blood he was my grandfather,” Nareau said in the video. “As a person, he was my father, he helped raise me, he helped make me the person I am today. You are all here because you knew and loved my grandfather and I thank you so much for that.”
He’s seen in the video taking a deep breath as he appears to get emotional.
“He taught me to stand here, be tall, be strong. My goal in life is to be as good as this man was. He helped everyone in this room in some way and I know that. I just want to thank everyone again for being here. I love all of you. Thank you again,” he continued.
The sheriff’s office obtained Nareau’s cell phone data, which confirmed the timing of the phone call from his grandma, according to the report. It also showed his “walking activity.”
The data didn’t show an exact location, but showed Nareau was walking at the time James Khoury was shot and included the distance of the walk, deputies said.
On Feb. 14, more than a month after James Khoury’s funeral, forensic analysis of the projectile found in the tree identified it as as bullet fired from a rifle owned by Nareau, according to the report.
“Pieces of evidence found at the scene, collected during the execution of search warrants, were sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing,” the sheriff’s office said. “This evidence, along with other investigative techniques, enabled detectives to establish probable cause for the arrest of Nareau.”
A possible motive was not released.
Nareau was taken into custody Feb. 15 and charged with second-degree murder, arrest records show.
Englewood is about 90 miles south of Tampa.
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