A Texas man who reportedly killed an elderly woman inside her Dallas home last week admitted to authorities that he invited drug dealers over and partied while the victim, his aunt, was lying dead a few rooms away.
Dallas News reports that Michael McClendon (pictured left), 45, reportedly told his friends that they couldn’t go into the garage or the areas near the garage when they arrived at the home off of Paldao Drive in Dallas. The victim, Norma Kakacek, lied lifeless in a bathroom near the garage.
Friends and family grew worried about the elderly lady when she failed to show up for two appointments last week, then missed work on Wednesday. A family member tried to contact Norma but when he didn’t get an answer, he went to the victim’s home and found the back door completely ajar. He walked in and found her dead inside a bathroom close to the garage.
Police pulled 37-year-old Reginald Taylor (pictured right) over on Wednesday while he drove the victim’s Lexus SUV. When authorities interviewed Taylor, he told them that McClendon picked him up in the SUV earlier in the week and brought him and a female friend back to the Paldao Drive home. Taylor said they partied inside the home, but McClendon insisted that no one go in the garage or to area of the home beside the garage.
Sources confirm Dallas police have a man & woman in custody for questioning in yesterday's murder of Norma Kakacek. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/0mPRh0ZFQq
— Andrea Lucia (@CBS11Andrea) September 14, 2017
Taylor admitted he stayed at the house and smoked marijuana and drank alcohol with McClendon. He said he drove the SUV after McClendon asked him to go out and “buy more weed.” He drove back to the home and when he couldn’t get back inside, the left in the SUV with his female friend.
Police couldn’t find McClendon until Friday, when someone called the police tip line and said the suspect was staying at a nearby Comfort Suites motel. Authorities located him and a woman there. They detained the woman. She had a small safe with her but claimed she had no idea who the safe belonged to.
Authorities found McClendon with the keys to the safe, the victim’s credit cards, and a pocket knife. They also found a baggie full of methamphetamine, a glass pipe, and paperwork that belonged to the victim’s husband.
McClendon said he wasn’t at the home when the Kakacek died, then immediately said he wanted an attorney. He did, however, admit he’d “been on a methamphetamine binge since Thursday.”
According to the arrest affidavit, McClendon explained cuts on hands by volunteering he fell in a bush before detectives had even questioned him about it. Blood was later found on his shoes.
Police arrested Taylor for unauthorized use of a vehicle; is bail is set at $25,000. They arrested McClendon and charged him with capital murder and drug possession. A judge set his bail at $550,000.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional information becomes available.
[Feature Photo: Dallas County Sheriff’s Department]
