The jealous boyfriend of a northwest Harris County homeowner is accused of killing the contractor she had hired, officials said.
Steven Eberly, 36, is charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and attempting to take a deputy’s weapon after allegedly killing a contractor at a northwest Harris County home.
According to the District Attorney’s office, Eberly had been dating the homeowner for five months and accused the contractor, 53-year-old Luis Silva Mendez, of having a romantic relationship with her. The DA said jealousy was a motive in the stabbing.
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On the morning of the murder, the homeowner told Eberly she was going to work and that the contractor would be at the house. Detectives believe Eberly fatally stabbed Silva during an argument inside the home while the woman was at work.
After the killing, Eberly enlisted a stranger at a METRO bus stop to help move furniture. Surveillance footage shows the men moving a heavy cardboard box containing Silva’s body, wrapped in a blanket, before the stranger fled in Silva’s truck. Eberly jumped onto the truck bed, leading to a crash.
READ MORE: $2.15M bond set for Harris County man accused of killing contractor after argument
Detectives recovered a large bloody knife and a cell phone from a nearby gutter. Eberly was found bleeding on FM 1960 and taken to the hospital before being booked into Harris County jail on a $2.15 million bond.
Silva’s wife, Orfilia Lopez, said her husband was a loving father of four and had been renovating the bathroom at the home for two and a half weeks. She said she had never met Eberly and is still searching for answers.
Eberly’s court date is scheduled for June 18. Authorities are also reviewing his mental health history and a prior aggravated robbery conviction from 2013.