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Joshua Nareau, a 23-year-old man from Florida, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of his grandfather, James S. Khoury. The tragic incident occurred on December 28, 2023, when the lifeless body of 71-year-old James Khoury was discovered in front of a South Gulf Cove home seven weeks ago.
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office revealed that Nareau was apprehended on February 15, with the murder charge linked to the alleged shooting death of his grandfather. The incident unfolded at a residence on Matecumbe Road, prompting deputies to respond to a distress call reporting the shooting.
Following the discovery of James Khoury's deceased body at the scene, his grandson, Joshua Nareau, was arrested. Since February 15, Nareau has been held in the Charlotte County Jail, as reported by FOX4.
Joshua Nareau's arrest reveals startling details about the murder of his grandfather
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office has released details of the investigation, shedding light on the circumstances leading to Khoury's death.
According to the report, Nareau's grandmother called the police to report the shooting. Nareau remained at the scene and awaited the arrival of deputies. When law enforcement reached the location, Nareau was found lying on the front walkway, next to a blue lunchbox and a holster with a firearm.
The arrest affidavit, reviewed by Law & Crime, reveals that Nareau informed deputies that his grandmother had called him after the shooting, prompting him to rush from his home a few hundred yards away.
Lynda Khoury, Nareau's grandmother, provided an account of the incident. She recalled kissing Khoury at the door before he left for the day, carrying his lunch, gun, wallet, and keys. Suddenly, a gunshot pierced the air, and Khoury screamed her name. Upon rushing outside, Lynda witnessed Khoury collapsing to the ground with a hole in his chest. He had been shot while walking toward his car, as reported by FOX4.
The 911 call from Khoury's wife came around 5:15 a.m. on December 28, reporting that her husband had been shot. Lynda informed deputies that she called Nareau after contacting 911, and he arrived at the scene with a holstered gun on his hip, alongside his lunchbox. Paramedics pronounced Khoury dead upon their arrival.
Lynda Khoury recounted that her husband mentioned hearing a gunshot while driving to work the day before the shooting. but he hadn't noticed anything else unusual at the time. Joshua Nareau claimed he was in bed when his grandmother called and swiftly dressed before rushing to their residence. He asserted that she warned him about a possible sniper outside, a detail that Lynda did not mention. Nareau allegedly did not hear shots or see anyone in the area.
Investigators discovered a projectile in a large pine tree, indicating that the shooter was on the south side of the home—consistent with the direction Joshua Nareau would have approached his grandparents' house. A subsequent analysis of Nareau's phone data revealed conflicting information. While Nareau claimed to be in bed during the incident, the phone data showed him walking several hundred meters around the time of the shooting, approximately the distance to his grandparents' residence and back.
When confronted by detectives, Nareau maintained his claim of being in bed and professed ignorance about the contradictory cell phone data, as reported by Law & Crime.
According to forensic analysis, the projectile recovered from the tree matched the characteristics of a "Savage" bolt-action rifle owned by Nareau. Lab results on February 14 confirmed that the projectile indeed came from Joshua Nareau's rifle. However, detectives have not yet disclosed a motive for the shooting.
Joshua Nareau charged with second-degree murder
Joshua Nareau recently delivered a heartfelt eulogy at his grandfather's funeral, stating,
“Jim, I called him Grampy, by blood he was my grandfather, as a person he was my father. He helped raise me. He made me the person I am today. You are all here because you knew and loved my grandfather and I thank you so much for that. My goal in life is to be as good as this man was. He helped everyone in this room in some way and I know that.”
Following an autopsy on December 29, revelations surfaced that Khoury was shot in the back, with the projectile exiting through his chest. The official cause of death, listed as a gunshot wound to the chest resulting in a perforated lung and heart, led authorities to classify the incident as a homicide.
Deputies pieced together the evidence and suggested that the shooter would have been on the south side of the residence—the same pathway Joshua Nareau would have taken to reach his grandparent's home from his residence. Phone data revealed walking activity that matched the timeframe of the shooting, as reported by Law & Crime.
Subsequently, deputies apprehended Joshua Nareau, who is now held without bond on one count of second-degree murder. At his first court appearance, the state scheduled a pretrial motion for February 21 and an arraignment on March 25, as reported by FOX4. Additionally, Nareau is prohibited from contacting his family during this time.
