Police: Intruder was in prison several times
Man had committed other burglaries and violated his parole
By mary ann cavazos Caller-Times
October 11, 2006
A 57-year-old man who was shot and killed by his 14-year-old hostage Monday at a home on Ocean Drive had been released from jail Friday and had committed several other burglaries, including a similar home invasion, according to police and court records.
Capt. John Houston said the man, who police identified through fingerprinting Tuesday as James Slaughter, had been involved in criminal activities since 1967 and was in and out of the prison system on several occasions.
"His (method of operation) was to break into homes. If someone was there, he'd tie them up," Houston said.
Police said they received a call from Rose Ann Kozlowski from her home in the 4200 block of Ocean Drive at 12:55 p.m. Monday reporting that a man had bound her and her son Michael and held them at knifepoint.
Houston said Rose Ann Kozlowski made the call after she freed herself and before Slaughter was shot but investigators were still trying to piece together a detailed timeline of the events late Tuesday.
An attorney for the Kozlowski family said he is certain Michael, a ninth-grade student at Incarnate Word Academy, acted purely out of self-defense.
"The truth is it was absolutely justified," said attorney Jimmy Granberry. "They'd all like to get back to the life they had, but they probably won't be able to."
The Kozlowskis referred all questions to Granberry.
"This is such a rare thing to happen. It's everybody's worst nightmare, but they're tough people. I think they're going to be OK," Granberry said.
Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, president of Incarnate Word Academy, said Michael has been a student there since elementary school and she expected him to be out for several more days.
"He's anxious to get back to school," Granberry said, adding the teen is also an avid soccer player.
According to police reports, Rose Ann Kozlowski had picked up Michael from school after he became ill and the two returned home. She then took a short trip to the grocery store and, upon her return home, was confronted by Slaughter, who threatened to kill her. He had a folding knife with a 4- to 5-inch locking blade.
Slaughter led the two to the upstairs master bedroom, where he bound their arms with men's neckties from the closet and ransacked the house for jewelry and other valuables, putting those items in the family's SUV.
She freed herself once, but Slaughter bound her arms again with more ties.
After freeing herself a second time and untying her teenage son, she took her husband's six-shot revolver from a security box under the bed, handed it to her son and locked the double doors to the bedroom.
Houston said that Slaughter heard the two moving around and tried to force his way back into the bedroom.
"He would slip the knife through the door and push it open a few inches to a foot," Houston said.
Michael aimed the pistol at the space between the partially open doors and fired one shot as Slaughter was trying to force his way in.
When officers arrived, they found Slaughter with a gunshot wound to the face.
Investigators said they also are looking for possible accomplices because neighbors reported seeing a suspicious 1970s green, four-door Lincoln Continental or Mercury Marquis about an hour and a half before the burglary drive slowly past several homes.
Slaughter, who lived in several Texas cities, was sentenced to 45 years in prison in 1984 for a break-in at a home in Taft the previous year. He tied up the couple and then fled the scene in their vehicle, which he packed with clothing and valuables. Earlier that day, Slaughter had also stolen a Corpus Christi woman's purse and vehicle.
San Patricio Sheriff Leroy Moody said Slaughter led deputies on a brief chase that ended when they rammed the stolen vehicle.
Slaughter was arrested after Moody and another deputy were forced to shoot him twice when he raised a rifle and pointed it at them.
He was paroled in 2000. Authorities said he was arrested again in June for violating his parole and transferred back to a Travis County jail.
Despite his feeling Slaughter never should have been paroled, Moody said ultimately the system was not to blame.
"He chose the lifestyle he lived. It's all about choices," Moody said.
Local residents at the nearby H-E-B on Alameda Street and Robert Drive commended the teenager for his actions.
"I would have done the same thing. I'm glad (Slaughter) won't be able to do it again," said Tanya Brandon, the mother of a 6-year-old girl. "He was protecting his family."
Yvette Contreras, who lives on Grossman Drive, said the recent burglary has made her reconsider keeping a gun in her home.
"They probably would have been killed if he hadn't shot him," Contreras said. "Nowadays, it seems like it's happening everywhere."
