Texas Grandfather Accused Of Stabbing His 8-Year-Old Grandson To Death On New Year’s Day

A grandfather in Texas was taken into custody in connection with the New Year’s Day death of his young grandson, authorities said.

Philip Hughes, 62, faces a capital murder charge and was arraigned on Jan. 2 for the fatal stabbing of Brenym McDonald the previous morning in Richland Hills, KTVT reported.

Officers responding to Hughes’ home shortly before 8 a.m. found the child dead, and they located the grandfather about a block away.

According to the boy’s great-grandmother, Linda Hubbard, McDonald and his parents had been living temporarily at the suspect’s home when the stabbing incident occurred.

"They were staying here with the grandfather until they could get him another place to live," Hubbard said, KDFW reported. "They kind of stayed away from him. I can’t say much about that."

“It was a tragedy,” Hubbard told KTVT of her great-grandson she described as “just a normal 8-year-old boy, full of life.”

She noted he received a skateboard as a Christmas present and she last saw him alive at Thanksgiving.

“He liked to cook, which we were excited about,” she recalled. “My daughter had ordered him a chef's hat with his name on it and an apron. He brought that with him so he could help in the kitchen. He just had fun.”

Hughes is being held on $2 million bond at the Tarrant County jail.

Police have not released a possible motive for the murder.