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Courtney Smith Charged With Murder in Crosby Killing of 21-Year-Old

A prior call about the suspect reporting she was seeing demons raises questions about how emergency mental-health holds are assessed.

Overview

  • The Harris County Sheriff's Office charged Courtney Smith with murder and booked her into the county jail as detectives continue the case.
  • Deputies were called to a home on the 17800 block of Adlong Johnson after a request for a deputy, where a woman told them she had killed her granddaughter and her boyfriend.
  • Inside the house, investigators found 21-year-old Maysie Murphy dead with apparent gunshot wounds, and they did not locate the reported boyfriend.
  • The sheriff said both Smith and Murphy lived at the residence, which is owned by a couple who were out of town.
  • Officials said the suspect had earlier called to report she was seeing demons, and deputies said they lacked enough information then to pursue an emergency detention.