Texas suspect killed colleague during her work breaks: police

Texas authorities say a man suspected in a recent murder was obsessed with the co-worker he killed and claimed her “long breaks” were a key reason for the murder.

Travis Merrill, 51, was arrested after he allegedly shot his colleague Tamhara Collazo at her desk on Thursday. The two both worked at an Allegiance Trucks office in Lewisville, about 30 miles north of Dallas.

According to police, Merrill opened fire Thursday afternoon after the victim returned from lunch. She was taken to a hospital but died from her injuries.

“When she re-entered after lunch, he followed her into her cabin, assaulted her and fired the weapon multiple times,” an affidavit obtained by FOX 4 Dallas states.

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The court document revealed that Merrill admitted to being “obsessed” with the victim and was preoccupied with the breaks she took at work. The suspect said he carefully tracked which days Merrill took breaks and how long they lasted.

“[Merrill said he] became obsessed with Collazo and became increasingly angry because, in his opinion, she took long, unauthorized breaks during work hours and paid him no attention,” the document states.

Collazo learned of Merrill’s concerning behavior and reported him to the company’s human resources department. The suspect was ordered to receive counseling before returning to work.

Merrill also told police that Collazo avoided him at work after she reported him, which upset him. He then purchased firearms and even told police that he brought the guns to work on several occasions.

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Merrill claimed the victim “caused him pain, and he wanted her to feel pain, so he deliberately planned to shoot her at work while everyone was there,” according to FOX 4.

Allegiance Trucks released a statement to FOX 4 expressing distress over the incident and noting its Lewisville office was closed following the shooting.

“The company is supporting the victim’s family and the rest of our employees, who fortunately were uninjured, and we have closed our Lewisville office indefinitely. We continue to work closely with law enforcement during the ongoing investigation,” Allegiance Trucks said.

“We ask for the community’s support as our company has unfortunately joined the growing nationwide community of workplaces impacted by gun violence.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Lewisville Police Department and Allegiance Trucks for more information.