JOSHUA WILKERSON - 18 yo (2010) - Pearland TX

Search under way for missing Pearland teen


Search under way for missing Pearland teen

by khou.com staff
khou.com
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 9:28 AM
Updated today at 9:43 AM


PEARLAND, Texas – Pearland police and Texas EquuSearch are searching for a missing teen whose car was found abandoned Tuesday in a shopping center.Police said 18-year-old Joshua Wilkerson was last seen Tuesday at his high school in Pearland. Wilkerson's parents reported him missing at 5 p.m. after locating his abandoned car in a shopping center parking lot at 5000 W. Broadway. Police said it appears Wilkerson may have not been wearing shoes or a jacket at the time of his disappearance. Due to the cold weather, a larger search was initiated. Police questioned a teen, Wilkerson’s friend, as a person of interest. The teen told police Wilkerson may have been the victim of an assault and left injured in a field somewhere south of FM 518, north of Bailey Road and west of the railroad tracks. Anyone with information on Wilkerson's whereabouts is urged to contact the Pearland Police Department at 281-997-4100.
http://www.khou.com/home/Search-under-way-for-missing-Pearland-teen-108670764.html

A Pearland teen who disappeared Tuesday was found dead Wednesday at about 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of FM 518 and FM 521, officials said.

Police said 18-year-old Joshua Wilkerson was last seen around noon Tuesday at his high school in Pearland. Wilkerson’s parents reported him missing at 5 p.m. after locating his abandoned car in a shopping center parking lot at 5000 W. Broadway.　

Texas EquuSearch was called in to assist with the effort to find Wilkerson. For most of Wednesday searchers concentrated on a huge area of land north of FM 518, near a retention pond. When nothing was found, searchers moved farther north, using horses, ATVs and boats.

Police were questioning a person of interest in the case – a friend of Wilkerson’s who told them the teen was assaulted and left in a field.

Investigators said Wilkerson’s friend led them to several different locations.

“We don’t want to discount anything he says at this point, because that may be the one time he’s giving you some good information that we don’t want to discount,” said Pearland Police Dept. Lt. Onesimo Lopez.

As of this time no charges have been filed in this case, however the case remains under investigation.

“The discovery of Joshua’s body only ends the search, not the investigation,” said Lopez. “The Pearland Police Department is committed to thoroughly investigating this crime and holding those responsible accountable.”

Officials at Pearland High School said Wilkerson attended classes at the PACE Center, an alternative school where students can go to earn extra academic credit.

"He was a good kid. He always came to school and stuff. He said he was trying to find a good job and stuff. He was gonna graduate pretty soon," classmate James Nanez said.

Moving this to Murdered as LE are calling it a crime.
The body of a missing 18-year-old Pearland teen was found last night in a Fort Bend County field. Josh Wilkerson, missing since Tuesday, was found in a field where FM 518 intersects with FM 521, west of the Brazoria County Line. Wilkerson’s parents began looking for him Tuesday when he didn’t come home from his half-day at school. They found his truck parked in a Pearland strip center and called police.More than 200 volunteers participated in the search for Wilkerson Wednesday.A “person of interest,” now considered a suspect in Wilkerson’s death, told police during the search that Wilkerson may have been assaulted and left in a field.

How sad. Prayers for his parents who cared enough to go looking for him immediately. I'm so sorry for their loss. Hopefully PD and the court will put the perpetrator(s) away speedily, for life.

Heartbroken. Prayers & healing thoughts to his parents/family.

Immigration Hold Placed on Pearland Murder Suspect

Suspect: Hermilo Moralez, 19

• 19-Year-Old Charged with Murdering Pearland Teen
  

November 19, 2010
The 19-year-old man suspected of murdering Joshua Wilkerson of Pearland now faces another legal battle with immigration.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Friday that an immigration hold was placed on Hermilo Moralez.

Brazoria County officials could not confirm whether that means Moralez in in the U.S. illegally. He was arrested in Brazoria County in May for misdemeanor harassment. He was listed as a citizen of Belize at that time, officials said.

Moralez was booked into the Brazoria County Jail just after 10 p.m. Thursday on charges of murder, failure to identify and attempting to take a weapon from an officer. The ICE hold means Moralez can't be released from jail, even after posting bail.

Wilkerson, 18, first went missing Tuesday. Law enforcement officials and volunteers searched for him into the night.

According to investigators, Wilkerson gave Moralez a ride home. He was the last one to see him alive, officials believe.

Wilkerson's body was found Tuesday night in a field in Fort Band County. Police said his hands and feet were bound and his body had been set on fire.

Evidence revealed that Wilkerson was likely killed at Moralez's father's home. Police said they found blood on the patio and a bloody wooden rod in the field.
http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-ice-hold-on-pearland-suspect-story,0,3427918.story

Pearland teen's alleged killer declared mentally unfit to stand trial

The alleged killer of Pearland teen Josh Wilkerson has been
ruled mentally unfit to stand trial and sent to a high security
mental-health hospital in Vernon, Texas.

Based on a psychiatrist’s evalutaion, Hermilo Moralez, 20, was
ruled unfit to stand trial by Brazoria County District Attorney
Jeri Yenne on Monday Nov. 14.

“The psychiatrist’s assessment of Moralez’s mental state
provided convincing evidence that he did not have a rational and
factual understanding of the charges. It also indicated he would be
unable to communicate with his attorney,” Yenne said when contacted
by The Pearland Journal.


Moralez was charged for the brutal murder of 18-year-old
Wilkerson on Nov. 16, 2010.


The incident began when Wilkerson’s parents reported their son
missing on Nov. 16, 2010. In the days that followed, hundreds of
volunteers worked with Pearland Police in a city-wide search.
Investigators soon located Wilkerson’s abandoned truck along with
his shoes and backpack discarded in a dumpster.


Moralez was found nearby with a deep fresh cut from his forehead
to his neck lurking in the bushes at the scene. Police questioned
the suspect who eventually led investigators to a field in west
Pearland where Wilkerson’s bound and burned body lay hidden.


Investigators allege Moralez killed Wilkerson in the back yard
of his father’s Pearland home.
When contacted by The Pearland Journal, Yenne said she remained
hopeful that with the aid of medication and treatment, Moralez
would eventually be brought to trial sometime in the future.
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pearland/news/pearland-teen-s-alleged-killer-declared-mentally-unfit-to-stand/article_e9273c90-e3d5-599d-a72c-4c3d366afd8e.html

21-year-old sentenced to life in prison for Pearland murder
Posted on January 29, 2013 at 7:28 PM

HOUSTON - A young man has been sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for killing one of his high school classmates in Pearland.
Prosecutors said 21-year-old Hermilo Moralez beat Josh Wilkerson to death in 2010, then later dumped his body in a field and tried to burn it.
A jury found Moralez guilty of murder.

http://www.khou.com/news/crime/21-year-old-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-Pearland-murder-188931351.html