A second suspect has been arrested in connection with the 2002 killing of Plano resident Frank Weiss, more than two decades after his body was discovered near Lake Lewisville in Frisco.
Keith Hart, 57, of Waxahachie, was taken into custody on May 8 on a murder warrant tied to the cold case, according to the Frisco Police Department. Authorities said officers from the Frisco and Waxahachie police departments coordinated the arrest, which occurred at about 7:45 a.m.
The arrest follows the April 20 arrest of Lisa Honrud, 55, who was married to Weiss at the time of his death. Honrud was charged with murder after investigators revisited the case with the help of updated investigative methods, newer technology, and information provided by a key witness, The Dallas Express reported.
Weiss’ body was discovered in 2002 near Lake Lewisville within Frisco city limits after a fisherman found the remains wrapped in black bags and tied with rope.
Authorities said 50-pound sandbags had been duct-taped to his legs. An autopsy determined Weiss had been shot twice in the chest with a .38 caliber firearm.
Police have not publicly detailed Hart’s alleged role in the killing, but investigators said the renewed progress in the case resulted from “time, commitment, and cooperation by key-witnesses.”
“Investigators with the Frisco Police Department have continued to make significant progress in a 24-year-old cold case homicide,” the department said in a statement announcing Hart’s arrest.
Frisco Police Chief David Shilson said the second arrest marks another step toward resolving the decades-old investigation.
“This second arrest moves us closer to closure for the Weiss family and our entire community,” Shilson said. “We are grateful for the continued support and will keep working until every responsible party is brought to justice.”
Court documents previously obtained by local media outlined details investigators uncovered during the renewed investigation into Weiss’ death. According to an arrest affidavit, Weiss and Honrud went to dinner on June 2, 2002, and investigators believe that was the last time he was seen alive.
Authorities allege Weiss had recently sought an annulment before he was killed. The affidavit states Honrud later told Weiss’ daughter that he had gone to Cancun and “did not want to be bothered,” Law & Crime reported.
Investigators also said a witness told detectives they had previously given Honrud a .38 caliber revolver. According to the affidavit, after learning Weiss had been killed with a .38 caliber weapon, the witness confronted Honrud about the gun.
“Lisa told [the witness], ‘we got rid of it’ by throwing it off the bridge over Joe Pool Lake,” the affidavit alleges, per Law & Crime.
Following Honrud’s arrest, Weiss’ daughter, Carla Weiss, described her father as “a wonderful man, the kind of guy who put me on his shoulders for three hours to ride the pink Dumbo because no other color would do.”
“He deserved better than this and we deserved to have him in our life a lot longer than we did,” she said, per Law & Crime.
Police have not said whether Hart or Honrud has retained attorneys. Denton County jail records show that Hart was released on a bond of $150,000, and Honrud is currently being held at the jail with a $850,000 bond.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact the Frisco Police Department at (972) 292-6010. Anonymous tips may also be submitted by texting FRISCOPD and the tip to 847411 or through the Frisco PD app.
