Prosecutors outlined allegations that a dispute over apartment lease terms preceded the deaths of two employees at a west Houston complex.
HOUSTON, Texas — A judge has set a $1 million bond for a 53-year-old Houston man charged with capital murder after prosecutors said a dispute over his apartment lease ended with two leasing office employees killed Sept. 3.
Derrick Duane Jackson is accused in the deaths of Rosa Linda Ybarra, 67, and Felix Antonio Jimenez Macz, 47, at the Park at Woodlake apartments on Ella Lee Lane. The bond decision followed a court hearing Wednesday in which prosecutors offered new details about what they allege happened inside the leasing office before the two employees were found dead.
Authorities allege Jackson went to the office because of a disagreement involving the terms of a 14-month lease. During the hearing, prosecutors described statements they said Jackson later gave investigators about an argument with Jimenez Macz. The prosecution said the disagreement escalated before Ybarra also became involved in the conversation. Jackson is accused of then opening fire inside the office.
Houston police had initially released few details about a possible motive. Officers were sent to 9545 Ella Lee Lane about 6:45 p.m. Sept. 3 after receiving a shooting call. Police found a man and woman unresponsive inside the apartment complex’s leasing office. Both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene.
Court accounts released after Jackson’s arrest allege that Ybarra was shot during the confrontation and that Jimenez Macz was shot as he attempted to get away. Prosecutors also allege Jimenez Macz was stabbed. The allegations have not been proven in court, and Jackson is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Investigators identified Jackson as a possible suspect as the homicide investigation developed. Houston police said Midwest Patrol and Patrol Support Unit officers arrested him Sept. 4, one day after the killings. Police said Jackson then provided a statement to homicide detectives before he was charged and booked into the Harris County Jail.
Prosecutors said investigators recovered a pistol and a pocketknife from the hotel where Jackson was arrested. The Houston Chronicle also reported that prosecutors told the court surveillance evidence placed Jackson at the leasing office during the attack. Authorities have not publicly released the complete evidence file, and the prosecution’s allegations will be subject to challenge as the criminal case moves forward.
The Houston Police Department lists Jackson as 53. Some early court-based news reports identified him as 48, creating conflicting initial accounts of his age. More recent official and court coverage has identified him as 53. The Houston Chronicle also reported Wednesday that prosecutors said Jackson had no prior criminal history, correcting earlier reporting that had mistakenly attributed another person’s record to him.
Jackson is charged with capital murder in the 228th Criminal District Court. A capital murder charge in Texas can apply when more than one person is alleged to have been killed during the same criminal episode. The charge is an accusation and does not establish guilt.
The $1 million bond marks a change from the first days after Jackson’s arrest, when prosecutors had requested that amount but no bond had yet been set. The case now remains before the Harris County criminal courts as prosecutors and the defense address the evidence and further proceedings.
Author note: Last updated September 10, 2026.