HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — After nearly 36 years, an arrest has been made in the killings of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson – a case that has haunted families and investigators for decades.
The young couple, ages 21 and 22, went out for a date night in west Houston on Aug. 23, 1990, but never returned home.
That same night, a security guard on routine patrol noticed a vehicle parked in a cul-de-sac that hadn’t moved for some time. When the guard approached, he discovered an unresponsive woman inside. A man was also found unresponsive nearby. Both victims were later identified as Henry and Atkinson. Authorities said they had suffered fatal injuries to their necks.
The case became known as the “Lover’s Lane Murders” and remained unsolved for decades.
On Thursday, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced that 64-year-old Floyd William Parrott has been charged with murder in connection with the killings.
Court records show Parrott was 28 years old at the time of the murders. He is accused of slashing the throats of the young couple after they had spent time parked in the secluded area following a night out dancing.
WATCH TEXAS TRUE CRIME: Lovers’ Lane Murders
Family members have long remembered the disturbing details of the scene.
“The car was in the cul-de-sac. It had cigarette butts, so we knew they had been hanging out they had spent some time there,” Cheryl’s sister, Shane Craig told ABC 13 during our 2025 documentary on the case. “The windows were rolled down there was blood on the door.”
“Initially I thought, OK, three to six months,'” Andy’s cousin, Tim Godwin told us about the investigation. The two had been so close growing up they considered each other brothers. “We’d find out who did this, and they’d be brought to justice.”
But months turned into years – then decades – with no arrests and few answers.
In 2008, investigators linked DNA from the crime scene to a separate rape case, but still could not identify a suspect.
Court records show the break finally came in 2025, when investigators revisiting the case received a tip naming Parrott. According to court documents, that tip – combined with renewed DNA analysis and additional police work – led to the charges.
“This case has weighed on the Henry and Atkinson families, as well as our community, for more than three decades,” Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said. “Our prosecutors, working with HPD and the FBI, have worked hundreds of leads but they never gave up.”
Parrott was arrested in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he is now awaiting extradition to Harris County.
Family members say the development is both emotional and long overdue. Even after 36 years, the pain never faded.
“I feel like somebody out there knows something, or knows something,” said Cheryl’s father Robert Henry in 2025. “If they would come forward, maybe they would know.”
Authorities with the Houston Police Department, the FBI, and the District Attorney’s Office are expected to provide more details during a press conference scheduled for Friday morning.
For the families of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson, the hope now is that long-awaited answers – and justice – are finally within reach.
Copyright © 2026 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.
