A 24-year-old man who was reported missing and turned into a homicide investigation in Fort Worth has been identified.
On Dec. 22, authorities said they found John Richardson buried in a shallow grave in Denton County in the woods north of Fort Worth.
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The Fort Worth Police Department arrested Alexander James Nicholas, a 23-year-old accused of stabbing and killing Richardson, who was previously missing then later found dead, officials say.
According to authorities, the missing person report was initially received on Dec. 2. Homicide investigators soon took over the investigation.
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Investigators found the victim left a party with Nicholas on Nov. 30. Nicholas provided a statement to detectives, including the location where he claimed he left the victim alive, the release said.
Police said they found evidence that contradicted Nicholas’s statement and arrested him.
“This investigation remains ongoing, and additional arrests are possible as further information is developed,” the release said.
Nicholas’s lawyer, Harmony Schuerman, declined to comment.
Police said Nicholas and the victim share a known acquaintance, but the statement did not provide a motive for what led to the slaying.