Houston police have arrested Floyd William Parrott, 64, in connection with the 1990 murders of Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson, known as the Lovers' Lane killings. The breakthrough came from a DNA match linking Parrott to the crime scene via a separate 1996 sexual assault case. Parrott faces capital murder charges and awaits extradition from Nebraska.
On August 23, 1990, Cheryl Henry, 22, and her boyfriend Andy Atkinson, 21, were discovered dead in a remote Houston area dubbed Lovers' Lane. The couple had been out the previous night at Bayou Mama's nightclub. A security guard spotted their white Honda Civic stationary and found Henry nearby, unclothed with her throat cut after a sexual assault. Atkinson was found tied to a tree, hands bound behind his back, with a rope around his neck causing severe injuries, according to police affidavits reported by KHOU, a CBS affiliate in Houston. The case lingered unsolved despite hundreds of leads and DNA samples over 36 years. A tip received in late 2025 identified Parrott as a suspect. Detectives then matched male DNA from a 1996 sexual assault case involving Parrott—recently entered into the national CODIS database—to samples from Henry's autopsy. Parrott was arrested Wednesday in Lincoln, Nebraska. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare addressed the development at a Friday news conference, calling it a 'monumental chapter' closed after decades of effort, though he emphasized ongoing work. 'The work cannot and will not stop now,' Teare said. Assistant District Attorney Samantha Knecht, who has collaborated on the case for 10 years, described notifying the family as 'the best phone call of my career.' Henry's sister, Shane Henry, thanked authorities: 'Cheryl was my best friend... Today is the day we waited for with a heavy heart... it does bring a sense of relief knowing that justice is moving forward.' Teare noted Parrott's extensive criminal history, including impersonating officers, and urged the public to share information on potential other victims. Parrott awaits extradition to Harris County jail.