What started as a neighborhood drug run on a Fort Worth street in mid-November ended in gunfire and an alleged murder contract worth as little as $500, according to newly filed court records. Prosecutors say a routine re-up of narcotics spiraled into a paid hit, and two people are now charged in a killing that has neighbors wondering how fast a street dispute can turn lethal.
Jail records show 30-year-old Patrick Aaron Taylor and 22-year-old Alexis Warren were arrested on Dec. 11, 2025, and face murder charges, according to news reports. Investigators developed an arrest warrant affidavit after reviewing witness statements and other evidence, according to Yahoo News.
Affidavit Lays Out Alleged $500 Hit
An arrest warrant affidavit reviewed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram states that the victim, 23-year-old Preston Holmes, went to the 3800 block of Lauretta Drive on Nov. 14, 2025, to replenish a drug supply. According to the document, an argument broke out, and Holmes was shot outside the home.
The affidavit alleges that Taylor, whom witnesses knew by the nickname “Memphis,” was promised $500 to kill Holmes. Witnesses told investigators they saw Taylor fire at least eight rounds from a black Glock handgun, and officers later recovered eight 9 mm shell casings at the scene, according to the filing.
Prosecutors have charged Taylor and Warren with capital murder “for remuneration,” a specific allegation that places the case in the state’s most serious category of homicide offenses.
What The Charge Means
Under Texas law, killing someone “for remuneration or the promise of remuneration,” as per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, is prosecuted as capital murder, the highest level of homicide charge in the state. The elements of that offense are laid out in Tex. Penal Code section 19.03, as summarized by FindLaw. That statute is typically reserved for the most aggravated cases, including murder for hire allegations.
Where The Suspects Are Now
Authorities say Taylor was taken into custody in Memphis and is being held at the Shelby County, Tennessee, jail. Warren is being held in the Tarrant County jail, where her bond is set at $750,000, according to booking records and reporting by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Officials in Texas and Tennessee are coordinating as the case moves toward formal filings in Tarrant County, a process that will determine how and when Taylor is brought back to face the capital murder charge.
Investigation Continues
Fort Worth homicide detectives say the investigation is still active. They are continuing to interview witnesses and search for surveillance video from around Lauretta Drive, according to a police bulletin reported by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Investigators are also examining cellphone records and other forensic evidence while prosecutors weigh any additional filings. For now, the case remains pending in the Tarrant County system, with court records expected to show the next moves as hearings are scheduled and prosecutors decide how to present the alleged murder for hire plot to a judge and, eventually, a jury.
