Suspect in 'Infamous' 1990 Killings Found Dead in Jail

UPDATE Apr 29, 2026 9:20 AM CDT

The man arrested last month in the "infamous" 1990 killings of a young couple in Houston has died in jail in Nebraska. Floyd Parrott, facing capital murder charges and possibly the death penalty in the brutal slayings of Cheryl Henry and Garland "Andy" Atkinson, was discovered dead of a suspected suicide just after 7am Tuesday, officials tell the Houston Chronicle, which reports his cellmate was absent at the time. Parrott had been due to face an extradition hearing on Thursday. He was also being investigated for involvement in another cold-case murder, a prosecutor says. His lawyer, Vivian King, notes, "It's good for the family—it's over. May the survivors find peace."

Mar 27, 2026 10:10 AM CDT

An arrest has finally been made in what a prosecutor calls "one of Houston's most haunting and infamous cold cases." Authorities have charged 64-year-old Floyd William Parrott with capital murder in the 1990 killings of Cheryl Henry, 22, and Andy Atkinson, 21, a young couple who parked at a "lovers lane" area after visiting a nightclub. Their bodies were later found in the woods: Henry had been raped, and her throat had been slashed; Atkinson was found tied to a tree, his throat also cut. Parrott was arrested Wednesday in Lincoln, Neb., and appeared in court there Thursday as Houston prosecutors moved to extradite him to Texas.

Investigators say a tip and DNA were key. USA Today reports a Houston sergeant reviewing the cold case last year noted a tip about Parrott that caused him to dig into a 1996 sexual assault investigation associated with Parrott; KHOU reports Parrott admitting having sexual contact with the accuser in the 1996 case but said it was consensual. The investigator learned DNA from that case had recently been uploaded to the national CODIS database; the DNA taken from Henry's body was a match, according to a criminal complaint. Police say Parrott lived less than a mile from the crime scene at the time and had prior arrests. "They never gave up on Cheryl and Andy," Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said, calling Thursday "a good day" for the victims' families.