According to Austin police, as his grandparents lay dead inside the home, Chevy Kyler Monaghan “calmly” lit up a marijuana cigarette in front of cops, opened a soda can, and said the two were “unharmed.”
Chevy Kyler Monaghan has been charged with capital murder in the deaths of his grandparents.
According to police, Monaghan appeared “nonchalant” when they arrived to the scene of the crime, giving no indication of what was waiting for them inside the house.
Per a press statement and an arrest affidavit via Law&Crime, officers say that family members had been trying to get in touch with the victims, Shari Mallory-Maxa, 74, and Anthony Maxa, 76, but were unsuccessful. In a 911 call, one of the relatives reportedly said Monaghan claimed the couple were inside the home fighting.
“They got into a big fight,” the defendant allegedly said. “They’re in their room stewing mad at each other; you don’t want to see it.”
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But relatives got suspicious, with officers receiving at least two 911 calls after noon on September 21 asking for a welfare check, and voicing concern, after Monaghan refused to open the door to let them see the couple, police wrote.
One of the callers said that 911 had been recently called on Monaghan for “being ‘unstable.'” Police also noted that this caller was worried the suspect had hurt the couple, and shared that Monaghan “did have a gun in the past that he shot off.”
Relatives also said Monaghan had been taking stuff out of the house and placing it in the back of his grandmother’s car, with Monaghan allegedly seen stepping out of the garage when officers approached the home.
“Monaghan was nonchalant with officers,” police wrote. “He calmly sat down, lit a marijuana cigarette, and opened a soda can. As the officers inquired about the whereabouts of Monaghan’s grandparents, he acknowledged they were inside the residence but did not say anything about them being deceased.”
He allegedly told cops his grandparents were “unharmed,” and said his grandfather had kicked him out.
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When officers entered the home, however, they found the couple dead from apparent gunshot wounds in a hallway. Investigators later determined that Shari Mallory-Maxa had been shot three times, and Anthony Maxa was shot six times. The trajectory of some of the gunshots under them was “at a steep downward angle” as if the shooter had been standing over them, officers said.
According to the affidavit, stippling on the gunshot wound to the grandfather’s face indicated the gun muzzle had been less than three feet away. There were also fired cartridge cases on the floor near their bodies.
Pistol ammunition was found in Monaghan’s pockets, as well as a long string of pearls in his back pocket and prescription bottles of the allergy and cold medication promethazine, which had been prescribed to his grandmother.
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Detectives on the scene determined that grandparents bedroom appeared to also have been ransacked.
“The dresser drawers were thrown to the floor, and empty jewelry boxes were on the floor and the bed,” they wrote.
Additionally, officers found a .380 caliber handgun and several rounds of ammo in Monaghan’s bedroom, as well as “dozens of boxes of women’s jewelry” in his car.
“In the garage of the residence, where Monaghan had indicated to Officer Richer all of his property had been staged, Detective Jones located several more bags containing jewelry, blank checks belonging to the victims, and additional small caliber ammunition,” police wrote.
Monaghan is currently being held at Travis County Jail, where he remains in custody.
“Tony and Shari are absolutely irreplaceable in so many ways to so many, but especially to their grandchildren, they lived for their grandchildren and made sure that each one of them felt like the most important person in the whole entire world,” the family told KXAN.
“Shari was everyone’s person and Tony was hers and together there was nothing they couldn’t or wouldn’t do for their family or friends. They didn’t just make sure to be apart of every moment and memory no matter what, they always added that extra special personal touch of love that only Mammo and Papa could,” they continued. “We will never stop missing them, and we will never be completely whole again without them. Please lift up all those mourning these unimaginable losses with us, especially their grandchildren.”
Police are asking Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department at 512-974-TIPS, or submit an anonymous tip through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477.
