An elderly man with a criminal history was accused of brutally murdering his roommate and dog.

An elderly man was arrested for the "brutal murder" of his roommate and her dog, and subsequently used her credit cards to try to escape the country.

At approximately 1:58 p.m. on November 18th, the Austin Police Department received a call about a deceased individual at a residence.

Linda Mlsna, 83, was found dead inside her home along with her dog, six days after she was last heard from, according to court documents obtained by FOX 7 Austin.

During a November 21 news conference, APD Homicide Det. Israel Pena stated that a neighbor had detected an odor consistent with decomposition and fly or insect activity in the windows of the residence.

A family member who resided nearby reported discovering Mlsna in a downstairs closet with a deceased dog on top of her, according to court documents.

Officers discovered a broken piece of furniture and further evidence of disturbance upon entering the home, which Pena stated confirmed their suspicion that her death was a homicide.

After Mlsna's death, investigators discovered that her roommate, 84-year-old Jack Moore, allegedly used her credit cards to make fraudulent purchases.

Ultimately, officers found Moore and arrested him on an unrelated warrant.

Moore allegedly admitted to killing Mlsna and her dog, stealing her credit cards, and devising a plan to escape the country during an interview with detectives.

According to the arrest affidavit via FOX 7, Moore admitted to killing Mlsna's dog because he wanted him to be with her forever and also claimed that he was afraid Mlsna's family was going to move her out to a nursing home due to her advanced age, and that she wanted to live in her home until her death.

The report stated that a search warrant for Mlsna's home revealed blood in multiple locations and a cell phone with several text alerts from financial institutions regarding suspicious purchases made with her credit cards at a single store over an eight-day period.

Mlsna's family told police Moore had been stealing money from her.

The police obtained surveillance video from a store linked to the theft and discovered that Moore had allegedly purchased 36 gift cards over 21 separate transactions. Several of those purchases were made during the time Mlsna was known to be dead.

Mlsna was arrested by US Marshals for a parole violation related to carjacking at an apartment about three and a half miles away from his home.

Over 30 gift cards and receipts, as well as credit cards issued to Mlsna and women's jewelry, were discovered during a search of the apartment where Moore was arrested, according to the affidavit.

During the investigation, it was discovered that Moore had a criminal record, which included bank robberies and time spent in prison.

A parole violation for felony carjacking and first-degree murder charges led to the arrest of Moore, who is currently being held at the Travis County Jail on a $1 million bond.

The police are investigating this case as Austin's 63rd homicide of 2024, according to their statement.

Stepheny Price is a writer for Planet Chronicle Digital and Fox Business. If you have story tips or ideas, you can send them to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).