RO man shot to death, Irving woman charged

RED OAK – A 29-year-old woman booked into the Ellis County Jail last week with an Irving address has been charged with the murder of an Ellis County resident.

Holly Brooke Daugherty, 29, was arrested last Tuesday by the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department after deputies were dispatched to the 300 block of Josey Lane in Red Oak/Ellis County at around 3:41 p.m. in response to a shooting.

Deputies were alerted to the shooting on Josey Lane by a female who called 911 and identified Daugherty as the shooter who left the scene in a red sedan.

Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol initiated a traffic stop after identifying the car at the intersection of West Red Oak Road and North Main Street in Red Oak. DPS identified the female driver as Daugherty. DPS also found a handgun in the front passenger seat.

Daugherty was then detained while waiting for an Ellis County Sheriff’s Deputy to arrive at the scene.

At the same time DPS stopped Daugherty, Ellis County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the location on Josey Lane and discovered a deceased male, Blake Morgan, 33 of Red Oak with a gunshot wound to his chest.

Ellis County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and the Crime Scene Investigator arrived at the investigation and Morgan’s body was transported to the Dallas Medical Examiner’s Office in Dallas where an autopsy was ordered.

A spokesperson for the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department said multiple witnesses were interviewed regarding the circumstances surrounding Morgan’s death.

Based on statements, evidence recovered at the scene, and evidence recovered from the traffic stop by DPS, Daugherty was charged with murder and booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center.

Daugherty’s bond was been set at $1 million.

Ellis County Sheriff Brad Norman thanked all the agencies and departments who assisted including the Red Oak Police Department who assisted the Sheriff’s Department as well.

“The address has a Red Oak address but is actually not within the incorporated city limits thus falling under the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department jurisdiction,” Red Oak Police Chief Garland Wolf explained regarding why the Sheriff’s Department versus the Red Oak Police Department made the arrest.

“We coordinated and supported their (Sheriff’s Department) response as requested,” Wolf concluded. “We assisted at a secondary crime scene – vehicle stop location – with traffic control.”