A 71-year-old man has been arrested in the death of a woman found with a gunshot wound at a Crystal Beach home, according to the Galveston County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were called to a home on Crystal Beach Road on Oct. 17 after a report of a suicide and found Barbara Barraque, 74, with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Her boyfriend, Robert Brown, who lived with her, told investigators she had shot herself, the sheriff's office said. Detectives later examined the scene, interviewed people and conducted a digital forensic review of Barraque's cellphone. Investigators said the evidence contradicted the initial account and established probable cause that her death was a homicide.
After presenting the case to the Galveston County District Attorney's Office, investigators obtained a warrant charging Brown with murder. His bond was set at $400,000. Detectives arrested Brown in Crystal Beach on Oct. 23 with help from the Organized Crime Task Force and took him to the Galveston County Jail without incident, authorities said.
The investigation remains active. The sheriff's office said it is not releasing further details about the evidence or circumstances of Barraque's death while the case proceeds.