In East Texas, a tragic and shocking crime has shaken the community. A 68-year-old Houston attorney, Michael C. Howard, is accused of fatally shooting his 20-year-old son, Mark Randall Howard, who had Down syndrome. Michael claims he mistook his son for an intruder at their Sabine County property on Sunday evening. What happened next has left authorities describing the case as “bizarre.”
According to the Sabine County Sheriff’s Office, instead of calling for help immediately, Michael waited 17 hours. During that time, he used a tractor backhoe to move his son’s body about two miles away to a remote part of his massive 2,500-acre property. There, he placed the body on a woodpile and burned it. He finally contacted the sheriff’s office on Monday afternoon. The investigation continues as authorities try to piece together the details of this tragic incident.
Meanwhile, in Florida, the family of a teen who tragically died in a freak amusement park accident in 2022 has won a major legal battle. Tyre Sampson, a 14-year-old high school football player, fell over 200 feet to his death while riding the Orlando FreeFall, a thrill attraction at ICON Park. This week, his grieving parents were awarded $310 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Tyre had been visiting Florida with friends for spring break when the group went to ICON Park in Orlando. Weighing over 300 pounds, Tyre was allowed to ride the 430-foot-tall drop tower despite exceeding the ride’s weight limit by nearly 100 pounds. To make him fit, staff manually adjusted his seat. But during the ride, which reached speeds of 75 mph, Tyre slipped out of the restraints and tragically fell to his death.
The jury ordered the ride’s Austrian manufacturer, Funtime Handels, to pay $310 million in damages—$155 million each to Tyre’s mother, Nekia Dodd, and father, Yarnell Sampson. Funtime did not send any representatives to the Orlando courtroom for the verdict, leaving Tyre’s parents deeply frustrated.
“I wanted them to look me in the eye, to say sorry. But I got nothing. No apologies, no acknowledgment,” Nekia said.
The lawsuit, filed shortly after Tyre’s death, also named the ride operator Slingshot Group and ICON Park. The family settled with those parties in March 2023 for an undisclosed amount. The Orlando FreeFall ride, where the tragedy occurred, was demolished on March 15, 2023. Nekia was there to witness its destruction, saying, “I wasn’t there for him when he passed, but I had to be there for this. My emotions are everywhere, but this was something I had to do.”
As for Funtime Handels, the company could face further legal challenges if it fails to pay the massive judgment. Legal experts say the U.S. Department of Commerce and State Department may step in to ensure accountability if the company tries to avoid payment.
These two heartbreaking cases serve as a grim reminder of the importance of accountability and the deep pain that tragic losses leave behind.
