Houston police say the man accused in the killing of 23-year-old Ashanti Allen has been captured after a cross-state search that ended in Louisiana. Kevin Faux, 24, was arrested without incident at an apartment in Gretna by the U.S. Marshals Service New Orleans Task Force. He now faces a capital murder charge in a case that has shaken Houston and sparked fresh questions about repeat offenders and early release policies.
Allen was eight months pregnant when she disappeared. Authorities say she was last seen on April 8, then reported missing by her mother on April 10. That same morning, her mother received a text from Allen’s phone reading, “I’m leaving I’m not coming back,” but relatives said the message felt out of character immediately. Days later, Allen’s body was found in southwest Houston. Investigators later said she had been strangled with a cord tied in two knots.
Court records paint a disturbing sequence. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Allen and Faux walking to her car around 2:20 a.m. on April 10. A witness later told investigators Faux called on FaceTime while sweating in a wooded area and said he had “killed a motherf**ker,” while showing what looked like a lifeless body. Investigators also recovered messages allegedly sent by Faux saying he “had to fight for [his] life” and “Imma felon then I killed a [expletive].”
Authorities say Faux later traveled to Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, after buying a bus ticket. Investigators claim he used Allen’s debit card there before an anonymous tip helped lead to his arrest. He remains jailed awaiting extradition to Texas. Several outlets have reported that Faux was previously arrested and charged with assaulting Allen, but had been released shortly before her death.
