Chukwuebuka Nwobodo: Charges, Houston Police Evidence, and Fugitive Status

Chukwuebuka Nwobodo is a Houston man charged with murder and tampering with evidence in the April 2022 death of 24-year-old Felicia Johnson, a San Diego woman who disappeared after traveling to Houston. He was 28 when the Harris County District Attorney’s Office filed the charges on June 9, 2022, in the 232nd State District Court.¹ He has been a fugitive since before those charges were filed, and no public reporting has confirmed his capture.

The Charges

Nwobodo faces one count of murder and one count of tampering with evidence tied to Johnson’s disappearance on the night of April 15, 2022.²³⁴⁵

The Evidence Houston Police Gathered

According to charging documents, Johnson had posted an advertisement on an escorting website, and Nwobodo contacted her through Snapchat and agreed to pay her $500 to meet. Bank records showed a $500 cash withdrawal from his Wells Fargo account on April 16. Uber records showed he arranged a ride that brought her from her hotel to a Windchase Boulevard apartment complex, where he picked her up and drove her to his apartment at 14935 South Richmond Avenue.⁶¹

Johnson’s phone, tracked by her family, turned up near Bear Creek Pioneers Park covered in blood.⁶ SWAT officers executed a search warrant at Nwobodo’s apartment on May 13, 2022, and took him into custody. Inside, investigators found blood and DNA matching Johnson. In his car, they recovered more blood, a handgun, a large kitchen knife, a shovel, and various receipts and supplies. Walmart and Home Depot records showed Nwobodo had purchased a mechanical saw, flashlight, gloves, trash bags, and towels on April 16 and 17.³

A forensic examination of his phone turned up internet searches made between April 20 and May 3, 2022, including “what does bleach do to blood,” “how to be a serial killer,” “how to kill without getting caught,” and “can police check phone records of a missing person.” HPD Sgt. B.A. Roberts described additional queries in the charging documents about cleaning DNA evidence, deleting digital information, and missing-persons investigations. Officers also found a photo of a dismembered woman on his phone, along with three additional photos of deceased people.⁶

Police had identified Nwobodo’s address through a November 2020 police report in which he had been investigated for sexual assault. That earlier case was dismissed after the alleged victim declined to press charges.⁶

Why He Was Released Before Charges

Despite the May 13 arrest and the evidence recovered during the search, Nwobodo was released from Houston Police Department custody before formal charges were filed. Reporting at the time attributed the release to insufficient evidence at that stage of the investigation.³ When the Harris County District Attorney’s Office filed murder and tampering charges on June 9, 2022, Nwobodo could no longer be located, and Houston police publicly announced he was at large.¹

Felicia’s father, Kevin Johnson, said the Houston Police Department had “dropped the ball” by releasing Nwobodo without maintaining surveillance. In an August 2022 update to the family’s fundraising campaign, he said he was considering hiring a private investigator or bounty hunter and cited reports that Nwobodo may have fled the country.⁷

Current Fugitive Status

Nwobodo has remained at large since before the June 2022 charges. One of the searches on his phone asked about “cheapest places for the world to live on a $1,000-per-month budget,” which fueled speculation that he had left the United States.⁸ No public reports have confirmed his capture or his location.

The Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division asks anyone with information about his whereabouts to call 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.¹

1
Houston Police Department. Suspect Charged in Disappearance of Felicia Johnson
2
KPRC Click2Houston. Suspect Charged With Murder Remains at Large Following Disappearance of Missing Woman Felicia Johnson
3
ABC10 News San Diego. Documents Reveal New Details in Disappearance of San Diego Woman in Houston
4
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Media Release: Human Remains Identified
5
Your Conroe News. Missing Houston Woman Felicia Johnson’s Body Found in Sam Houston National Forest
6
ABC13 Houston. Felicia Johnson: Court Documents Reveal Disturbing Details in Murder Investigation
7
San Diego Union-Tribune. Dental Records Confirm Remains Found in National Forest Near Houston Is Missing San Diego Woman
8
BBC Pidgin. Chukwuebuka Nwobodo: Houston Police Charge Nigerian Man for Murder