HOUSTON — A University of Houston student who was robbed at gunpoint inside his dorm room last week is speaking out following the arrest of a suspect.
Kyliel Denzel Arceneaux, 21, is charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon for the crime that occurred inside the Moody Towers residence hall on Aug. 27.
Later that week, Arcenaux allegedly shot and killed 90-year-old veteran Nelson Buckett outside an assisted living apartment complex off Westbrae Parkway in southwest Houston. He's charged with capital murder for that crime.
After knowing what happened to Beckett, UH sophomore Ricardo Dyer said he's lucky he survived.
"I could’ve ended up dead like what happened to him," Dyer said.
It all happened when Dyer woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
"It was about 3 a.m. and I just had to use the bathroom, so I left my door a little open because I couldn’t find my key, so I just left, but then when I came back, the door was closed, and I heard something in my room, so I knew something was up. Then before I knew it, someone rushed into me," he said.
Two men had gotten inside his dorm room. Both of them had guns and pointed them at Dyer.
"I just stayed still, stayed calm and kept my hands up. Let them take whatever they wanted," he said.
Dyer said the thieves took his cell phone after it fell out of his pocket when he was pushed.
He said he’d been posting Instagram stories about his new watch and thinks it likely made him a target for the men.
"I got me a Cartier, and they took my watch box, so obviously, they were trying to take my watch, but all they got was an empty box because my watch is getting fixed at the jeweler right now," he said.
After that, Dyer said the men ran off.
"After that situation that happened, I’ll be looking over my shoulder like every second, because I’m so paranoid now after that situation," he said.
On Friday, Dyer learned one of the suspects, Arceneaux, had been caught.
Arceneaux had been in custody since Wednesday in connection with the death of Beckett.
Prosecutors said they were able to link Arceneaux to the robbery at UH through security video and a tip.
"This defendant has a unique, let's say, bald spot on his head. we were able to identify that. In addition to that, there was a tip provided that he might be one of the robbers. and then when we compared the images and that specific feature on his head, we were able to connect the ties," prosecutor Dana Nazarova said.
Since the robbery, Dyer moved dorms with his own personal bathroom and feels safer.
He also said he'll be more mindful of what he posts on Instagram.
"Not posting my watch for sure," he said.
According to court records, Arceneaux was out on bond when all of these crimes occurred. He is currently being held on bonds totaling more than $7 million.