Funeral arrangements announced for Houston Marine veteran killed in carjacking

HOUSTON – Funeral arrangements have been announced for Nelson Beckett, a 90-year-old Houston Navy veteran who was killed Saturday in a carjacking in southwest Houston.

The service will be held on September 9 at 10 a.m. at SW Central Church of Christ, 4011 W Bellfort Ave.

Beckett will be buried at Memorial Oaks Cemetery at 2 p.m., followed by a reception and family visitation.

Beckett served in the US Navy. His friends and family described him as a “very caring man” and his daughter said he was the kindest and funniest person you could ever meet.

Steve Sandifer, a friend of Beckett for 47 years, described Beckett as a champion of faith who lived a great life.

Sandifer said the Navy veteran was a natural carer, driving neighbors to doctor’s appointments and picking people up from rehabilitation centers to take them to church. He also loved his wife of 55 years, who died in 2010.

Beckett’s son, Tim Beckett, said his father grew up in Oklahoma City and married his wife there, then moved to Houston with their two children in the early 1960s. Beckett has five grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and another on the way.

Beckett’s daughter Tami sent KPRC 2 this statement about her father:

“He was the kindest, funniest person you could ever meet. He loved getting to know people and greeted them all with jokes and his famous business card that said “my card.” He loved to make someone laugh and brighten their day. Everyone was precious to him. He spent his days driving people who didn’t have cars places. He drove them to doctor’s appointments, FEMA, rehab, stores, etc., wherever they needed to go. He even drove some friends from a halfway house to beg and took them to church on Sundays. He even baptized some of them. He would do anything for anyone. He told me (his daughter) all the time how lucky we were to have such a big, wonderful, loving, Christian family. He loved big and loved his family so much!”

What happened

Bail was set at $7 million on Thursday for the man accused of killing Beckett.

The suspect, Kyliel Denzel Arceneaux, 21, was charged with felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence. He was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Harris County Jail.

The shooting occurred Saturday at the Lonestar Senior Living Apartments on Westbrae Pkwy. near Rainer Dr., when the car thief shot Beckett.

The fatal carjacking occurred right outside Beckett’s apartment building. His car was found 10 minutes away in another apartment complex in the 12500 block of Dunlap Street.

Arceneaux was later identified as a suspect in this incident.

Disturbing details

Prosecutors revealed more disturbing details about the fatal carjacking, saying that during the crime, Arceneaux pistol-whipped Nelson Beckett and then ran over his body with the victim’s vehicle.