On June 27, police in Houston, Texas responded to a shooting at an apartment complex where they were met by a seven-year-old girl. She informed them her mother, 29-year-old Laurielle Faulk, was asleep on the couch covered with a green blanket.
Upon inspection, officers discovered that the woman had been shot in the head and was dead.
A 16-page affidavit filed two and a half months after the incident alleges that a 25-year-old woman, Lakiri L. Tolliver, was responsible for the death of Laurielle Faulk. Tolliver is also accused of returning to the scene to steal Faulk’s possessions, with the arrest announced by the Houston police the following Wednesday.
According to the little girl’s statement, her mother, Tolliver, and a man were present in the apartment the previous night. On the morning of the incident, Tolliver directed the girl to move to her room to sleep and covered Faulk with the blanket, leaving her daughter alone with her mother’s body.
Investigations reveal that Tolliver took possession of Faulk’s phone, impersonated her, and communicated with Faulk’s family on Instagram, placing the blame for the incident on an unidentified man. Tolliver’s inconsistent accounts of the events raised suspicion.
Security footage from Faulk’s apartment did not directly capture the murder but recorded activities preceding it. It showed Tolliver accessing Faulk’s phone around 10:30 a.m., followed shortly by the sound of a gunshot. The police believe the motive for the murder was Tolliver’s assumption that Faulk was involved with Tolliver’s boyfriend.
After the incident, the security cameras captured Tolliver and the unidentified man exiting the apartment with bags. They made multiple trips, taking various items, notably Faulk’s high-end brand bags.
Though Tolliver called 911 close to 6 p.m., she disconnected the call and turned off the phone. Evidence suggests she returned to the apartment on July 11, forcibly entering and removing numerous items.
She was arrested on July 14 after a warrant was issued. Initially, Tolliver denied being at the scene on the day of the murder, but upon being presented with video evidence, she shifted the blame to the man she was with. However, footage suggests he was asleep during the incident.
Currently, Tolliver remains in custody without the option for bail.
