A Houston woman has been accused of gruesomely killing a man she had never met in a choking suburb scene. Karon Fisher, 20, faces charges of murder following the sudden and violent death of 64-year-old Steven Anderson. Prosecutors allege that Fisher ran Anderson over with a stolen car before straddling and stabbing him outside his southeast Houston home, a horrifying attack caught on camera. Fisher's bail, initially slated at $2 million, was reduced to $900,000 during her court appearance, according to KTRK.
The brutality of the event is underscored by its apparent randomness. "They were complete strangers," Harris County District Attorney Ryan Trask said, reflecting a chilling dimension to the crime. Fisher's defense team seemed to quickly home in on her mental state, with Charles Brody steering questioning to reveal any evidence of mental health issues, a tactic that might prove crucial as the case continues to unfold, as per the Houston Chronicle.
During the hearing, the prosecutor detailed the merciless nature of the assault outside Anderson's home on May 3rd. After striking with the vehicle, "She gets out of the vehicle, approaches him, straddles his body and kisses him," Trask described. "Then she slits his throat and stabs him seven to 10 times and leaves the knife in his chest." This unprovoked and fatal altercation happened in the 7000 block of Woodridge Square Drive, as residents emerged to a scene of ghastly violence, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Questions about Fisher's past and her mental stability were to only deepen as officials learned of her history with law enforcement. Police records ride a troubling wave of previous brushes with law - missed appointments connected with an evading arrest case and a dismissed charge of prostitution. The same day as Anderson's murder, Fisher was also charged with assaulting a hospital staff member. The bond was likely lowered not to simply punish, but to effectively ensure her appearance at trial without pricing her out due solely to financial incapacity. "It’s not right to have a system for people who are wealthy to get out, while those who are not, cannot," Judge Chris Morton stated, according to the Houston Chronicle.
As investigators work to piece together a motive for the seemingly inexplicable act, focus is also narrowing on the circumstances of Fisher's arrest. Responding to the crime scene, Officer Anh Nguyen detained Fisher within minutes, noticing a smear of blood on her arm. When questioned, Fisher's response as described by Nguyen, "What did I do wrong," suggests an eerie calmness and disconnection from the brutality inflicted upon a man described by neighbors as a retiree from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, as per the Houston Chronicle.
