‘He Made Me the Person I Am’: Florida Man Accused of Murdering His Grandfather, Then Eulogizing Him at Funeral

A Florida man reportedly eulogized his murdered grandfather after he was shot and killed in front of his home at the end of last year. Now, the man has been arrested and charged in connection with his grandfather’s slaying.

Around 5 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2023, Lynda Khoury called 911 and said her husband, 71-year-old James Khoury, had been shot at their home in Port Charlotte, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by WWSB.

Officers arrived on the scene and found Khoury suffering a gunshot wound to the chest, his own gun holstered at his hip and his lunchbox next to him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies said they found Khoury’s grandson, 23-year-old Joshua Nareau, sitting in the yard by the house.

Nareau reportedly told police that his grandmother had called him and he rushed over from his own house nearby. Lynda confirmed with police that she did call her grandson.

According to Lynda, her husband was leaving for work and she gave him a kiss goodbye. Seconds later, she heard a gunshot and her husband call out for her.

Lynda reportedly went outside and found her husband with a gunshot to the chest and “knew he was dead.” She ran back inside and called 911 and then Nareau, who told police he was in bed sleeping when his grandmother phoned.

Investigators looked into Nareau’s phone records and confirmed that his grandmother had called him after the shooting. However, the phone data allegedly showed he had walked several hundred yards around the time of the shooting — roughly the distance to his grandparents’ house and back, according to the affidavit.

Police also reportedly found a projectile in a tree on the property, which lab results confirmed was fired from a rifle Nareau owned.

On Feb. 15, Nareau was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, officials said. They have not provided a motive for the killing.

He was booked into the Charlotte County jail, where he was being held without bond.

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“This does not make it any easier for the family of the victim, who now have even more grief to cope with, but I hope it brings peace of mind to the community once more," Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummel said, adding, "Please pray for Mr. Khoury’s family as they navigate this unthinkable situation.”

The Daily Sun shared a video from Khoury’s funeral, where Nareau said that Khoury was a father to him.

“He made me the person I am today,” the suspect said. “You are all here because you knew and loved my grandfather and I thank you so much for that. My goal in life is to be as good as this man was. He helped everyone in this room in some way and I know that.”