Houston Man on Date Discovers Fake Parking Attendant Scammed Him Out of $40. So, He Left His Date, Fatally Shot Cheat and Returned to Restaurant, Cops Say.

A Houston man has been arrested and charged with murder after he allegedly killed a parking scammer over $40 while he was on a date, according to authorities.

Around 7:30 p.m. on April 11, police said a couple parked separately at a lot in East Downtown Houston. The couple reportedly paid a total of $40 to a man who said he was a parking attendant, KRIV reported.

The couple then headed to Rodeo Goat for their date, but minutes later, court records state Erick Lee Aguirre, 29, was informed by an employee at a nearby business that the attendant, later identified as 46-year-old Elliott Nix, was actually a scammer, according to KRIV.

Aguirre then went to his car, grabbed his gun, shot Nix in the back and then left his body on the sidewalk, authorities said. A witness saw the shooting take place and called police.

Meanwhile, Aguirre made his way back to the restaurant and reportedly told his date he “just scared the guy and everything is fine,” KRIV reported.

However, the couple left the restaurant a few minutes later and continued their date at another location, police said.

Houston police released surveillance footage of Aguirre and the woman, which helped lead to the arrest of Aguirre in Aransas County, Texas, KRIV reported. He was extradited back to Harris County on April 25.

Police said the female person of interest voluntarily spoke with detectives and was released with no charges filed.

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Aguirre had his first court appearance on April 27 and was charged with murder and his bond was set at $200,000, officials said.

Prosecutors said Aguirre was out on probation for a 2017 aggravated assault charge in Corpus Christi.