Seems like a reasonable response Part 3

Police: Man beaten to death over unpaid bill
By CINDY HORSWELL/HOUSTON CHRONICLE

A Conroe man was beaten to death by two friends for failing to pick up the $85 tab for the trio’s meal at a restaurant as he had promised, according to the victim’s cousin.

On Wednesday, Buddy Nixon drove to the apartment on Creighton Road where his 47-year-old cousin, Jack Milton Nixon, lived to check on his welfare since he had not shown up for work for four days. Nixon’s decomposed body was found Wednesday lying on the apartment’s bedroom floor, investigators said. Artemio Ochoa Jr. and Raymond Santillian, both 21 from Conroe, are charged with capital murder.

Ochoa, who was arrested near his home, is being held on $500,000 bail and has admitted taking part in the beating, said Lt. Dan Norris of the Mongtomery County Sheriff’s Office. Santillian remains at large.

“(Santillian) had no vehicle at his disposal. He could be in Conroe or headed to the Dallas-Fort Worth area where he has family,” Norris said.

Preliminary autopsy results indicate Nixon died from blunt trauma or repeated blows to his body, Norris said.

Norris would only say the trio had “a disagreement over some money.”

But Buddy Nixon said investigators told him the slaying revolved around the $85 tab at a restaurant on Lake Conroe.

“My cousin had gotten together with these two guys, and they went to this club where he had agreed to pay,” Buddy Nixon said. “But while out there, my cousin got drunk and was thrown out of the place. So he left and never paid.”

On the surface this sounds quite wacky but once I got to reading it I kind of lost the same comedic zest I had going in. It kind of made me rethink some of the things I've gone back on once when I've gotten drunk. I've got to get my act together before the move or I might end up beaten to death over a bar tab.

P.S. - That's a picture of one of the perps. He looks like he has a couple screws loose.