East Texas man arrested for murder in Grand Prairie in 2008 and held on $1 million bond

NORTH TEXAS – An East Texas man is being held on $1 million bond after being arrested in Lufkin for the murder of a man who was found dead following a structure fire at a Grand Prairie apartment building in August 2008.

Jerry Lee Gardner, 44, of Lufkin, was taken into custody Oct. 4 and charged with murder in connection with the death of Raymond Hernandez.

The murder occurred Aug. 8, 2008, in the 2600 block of Channing Drive in Grand Prairie.

According to authorities, no matches were found when DNA was collected and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in November 2008.

The cold case was reopened in February 2022 when Grand Prairie police detectives worked with the Texas Rangers to utilize the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. They conducted forensic genetic genealogy testing of the suspect’s DNA through a third-party laboratory, which led to a breakthrough in the investigation in September. Investigators obtained a DNA sample, confirmed the lead and arrested Gardner at his home in Lufkin.

Gardner remains incarcerated at the Grand Prairie Detention Center.