Crime & Safety
Cold Case Homicide Suspect Dies In Montgomery County Jail
Authorities believe 75-year-old Thomas Elvin Darnell's death was of natural causes related to his medical history.
CONROE, TX — A 75-year-old man who was charged in a 1983 homicide cold case died in Montgomery County Jail on Monday.
Thomas Elvin Darnell was in hospice care and died of what authorities believe are natural causes related to his medical history, according to a Montgomery County Sheriff's Office news release. An autopsy will be conducted to determine an exact cause of death.
Authorities said Darnell already was in failing health when he was arrested in his Kansas City home May 11. Darnell was extradited to Montgomery County Jail and charged with the 1983 killing of Laura Marie Purchase on May 20.
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According to a bond motion filed July 16, Darnell spent the prior two weeks in an intensive care unit with severe medical issues. Court documents show Darnell was appointed an expert witness on June 14 to determine competency.
A trial date had not been set, but Darnell had a bond hearing scheduled for Aug. 9 in the 435th Judicial District Court.
Find out what's happening in Conroe-Montgomery Countyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
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