Court documents have been released from the murder of an elderly woman in northwest Williamson County earlier this month. The affidavit provides more details on how the suspect was identified and caught.
26-year-old Joshua Anthony Gilbreath, of Pflugerville, is charged with first-degree felony murder for the killing of 70-year-old Diana Lynn Pier, of Florence.
It happened Thursday, August 4, in the 4500 block of County Road 245 about two miles south of Florence. Williamson County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call of a shooting at around 8:45 p.m. and found Pier dead at the scene.
The sheriff's office held a press conference last Thursday with Pier's family asking for the public to come forward with any information. It was believed she pulled over to help someone and was then shot and killed. A $30,000 reward was offered for info leading to an arrest.
Gilbreath was arrested the following Saturday for the crime.
The affidavit for his arrest says a woman who lives close to the scene of the shooting was able to partially see what happened with binoculars. She saw the suspect vehicle parked in front of her rural home with its emergency flashers on. Pier's car passed it and then stopped. A person then ran from the rear of Pier's car to the suspect vehicle, which then sped away.
The woman walked to the end of her driveway and found Pier lying in the roadway with a pool of blood around her head, the court documents said. The witness was able to provide a description of the suspect to deputies.
The affidavit says on the day of the news conference a 9-1-1 caller said his friend confessed to shooting a white woman. Detectives interviewed the man, who said he met his friend of 10 years, Joshua Gilbreath, at Bombshells Bar in Pflugerville. Gilbreath said he had something to tell him, but couldn't tell him in the bar. They walked out and Gilbreath said he didn't want their phones in the car while they talked, so they put them on the roof of the car before getting in. Gilbreath then told him he shot a white woman in the Jarrell area. He said he pulled over on a side road and a vehicle pulled over behind his. The woman got out of her car and he shot her when she approached him.
The friend said Gilbreath bought a firearm about two weeks prior. He said he had never known Gilbreath to own a gun, the court document said. Cell phone records put Gilbreath at the scene at the of the murder, and Gilbreath's description matches the physical description by the woman who witnessed what happened with binoculars. Also, Gilbreath had purchased ammunition that matched the shell casings found at the scene.
Gilbreath remains in custody at the Williamson County Jail under a $1,000,000 bond.