Two accused in capital murder of 20-year-old Tyler man

Published 4:20 pm Thursday, February 15, 2024

UPDATED COVERAGE, FEBRUARY 16, 2024: The second suspect in this case has been located and arrested.

Tyler police are looking into all tips as a teenage capital murder suspect remains on the loose, but nothing had led investigators to an arrest as of Thursday afternoon.

Caleb Austin Ward, 16, of Whitehouse, is accused in the death of 20-year-old Nathan Charles Martin, of Tyler. Martin was found shot to death just before midnight Feb. 7 at Highway 69 North and County Road 489.

Ward should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

He is from Whitehouse but frequents the Tyler area. As of Thursday, most of the tips police have received have been from the Tyler area, but “none have panned out,” Tyler Police Public Information Officer Andy Erbaugh said.

“Investigators are doing everything they can to find him,” Erbaugh said.

If anyone knows where Ward could be or knows someone who may have information, they are urged to call the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000. Erbaugh asked the public to look at the photo of Ward and alert police immediately if they see him or think they may have seen him.

“Keep your eyes open for anything that could be valuable to investigators,” Erbaugh asked of the public.

One other suspect has already been arrested in this homicide investigation. Joshua Renae Bryant, 25, is charged with capital murder by terror threat. He was booked into the Smith County Jail on a $1 million bond, and faces multiple other charges, including burglary and drug charges, with additional bonds totaling $79,000.

Police believe Bryant and Ward killed Martin while stealing his Mustang.

Bryant told police he “blacked out” and has no memory of what happened the night of Feb. 7, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Surveillance video from a nearby business captured evidence of the capital murder, the affidavit states. Footage captured the sound of a few gunshots followed by the sound of a car horn, a faint scream and the Mustang quickly leaving the scene, spinning tires. A person police believe to be Bryant is shown running away from the Mustang.

Bryant admitted to driving Martin’s Mustang and being with him the night of his death. He initially said he rode in the passenger seat as Martin drove, but after a stop at a local smoke shop, Bryant began driving. Bryant said he consumed a THC edible gummy purchased at the shop and said he “blacked out” soon after he started driving.

The investigation is ongoing.

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