A Texas man arrested this week for the infamous Houston “Lover’s Lane” murders posed as a cop on at least three occasions, prompting officials to release earlier mugshots in an attempt to identify additional victims.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, special FBI agents arrested William Parrott Wednesday in Lincoln, Nebraska. He’s charged with the 1990 murders of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson, both 22.
During a Friday morning press conference, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare stated that more than 100 people had been investigated over the years. However, Parrott did not land on their radar at the time.
In 2008, DNA testing linked an unrelated rape case matched DNA found at the murder scene, followed by a 2025 tip mentioning Parrott’s name.
“Renewed DNA analysis and additional police work” led to the arrest, ABC 11 reports.
“This case has weighed on the Henry and Atkinson families, as well as our community, for more than three decades,” Teare said. “Our prosecutors, working with HPD and the FBI, have worked hundreds of leads, but they never gave up.”
Henry and Atkinson were out on a date on August 23, 1990, in West Houston, when they were found deceased near their parked vehicle in a cul-de-sac at 1300 Enclave Parkway.
A security guard found the couple during a routine patrol. Andy Atkinson had been tied to a tree and “nearly decapitated,”according to KHOU.
Autopsy results indicated that Cheryl Henry had been sexually assaulted and had neck injuries, People magazine reports.
Police found her nude body hidden under wooden boards with a $20 bill placed beside her.
“He [Andy] was tied to a tree and listened to her scream, listened to her being murdered knowing that they were going to do the same thing to him and he couldn’t do anything about it,” Andy’s father, Garland Atkinson, told KHOU.
“That’s hard to accept.”
According to officials, Parrott worked at auto parts stores and stores for years, and lived in the Houston area for decades. At one point, he was affiliated with a wrecker service.
He also “held himself out to be law enforcement” over the years, prompting authorities release his mugshot from the 90s. Parrott left the area less than two years ago.
Police arrested Parrott three times for impersonating a police officer, with one of the arrests occurring after the Lover’s Lane murders.
“I believe there are more victims out there,” Teare said. “As we are able to identify more victims, it’s going to be easier to identify a common thread of behavior that this defendant was engaged in.”
On Thursday, Parrott fought extradition back to Harris County and asked for an attorney. He remains behind bars Lancaster County, Nebraska, without bond, awaiting a April 30 meeting.
Meanwhile, Cheryl’s sister, who attended the press conference, remembered her as someone loved deeply by many.
“She was more than a victim in a headline,” she said. “She was a daughter, a sister, a friend and a person who brought much love and light into our lives.”
Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the cold case division at Teare’s office at 713-274-5640. Anonymous tipsters should contact Houston Crime Stoppers anonymously at 713-222-8477.
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[Feature Photos: Handout]