Slayings leave friends bewildered

Isaac hadn't seemed like himself lately.

Dorcus Ahimbisibwe feared her oldest son might be depressed, she confided in a friend last month at the small church where her husband, the Rev. Israel Ahimbisibwe, served as vicar.

"She said she didn't know what was wrong, just said that Isaac was not himself," Peggy Fergus, 79, recalled last week, days after the couple and their youngest son were found slain in west Houston.

Fergus thought maybe the 19-year-old was nervous about leaving home for the first time. As friends and family understood, Isaac had joined the U.S. Marine Corps and would be shipping out for basic training.

They would pray for his strength, Fergus assured Dorcus.

The declaration that he enlisted in the military appears to have been a lie. His parents suspected dishonesty and planned to confront him, court records state.

It is unknown whether they ever had the chance to confront him.

Isaac Tiharihondi now is accused of using a hammer, bat, lamp and knife to fatally bludgeon his parents and stab his 5-year-old brother, Israel Ahimbisibwe Jr. Police discovered their bodies in the back bathroom of the family's Memorial-area apartment a week ago.

Investigators believe he stole his parent's credit cards to help him flee the state. He was arrested in Jackson, Miss., early Wednesday morning and charged with capital murder. He appeared in a Hinds County court in Mississippi on Wednesday morning where he did not fight extradition back to Texas.

He appeared calm and answered questions adequately in court, said Othor Cain with the Hinds County Sheriff's Office. He is expected to return to Harris County this week, Cain said.

Family and friends are bewildered that the young man they described as quiet, gentle and well-mannered could be responsible for the slayings.

"Obviously, something drastic must have happened to him," Fergus said. "He's always been such a lovely young man."

The events that led up to the slaying are still unclear, and police have not publicly identified a motive.

"It's very overwhelming and it's so hard to believe," said Deanna Lawson, director of the children's ministries at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, where the family attended for several years before Israel became a vicar at the Church of the Redeemer. "I just wonder what went wrong."

Friends and family described the Ahimbisibwes as a happy and close-knit family. The only known disagreement between Isaac and his parents was his decision to join to the military, which they came around to support, relatives said.

Passion for education

Born and raised in Uganda, Israel, 51, was ordained a priest in the Holy Orders of the Anglican Communion of the Province of the Church of Uganda. A deep passion for education and learning brought Israel to the United States, said his brother-in-law Apollo Kashanku. After receiving his bachelor of divinity at Makerere University in Uganda, he came to the U.S. where he earned a master's degree from Princeton Theological Seminary and Harvard Divinity School.

He was accepted at Rice University, where he earned another master's degree and his doctorate in religious studies in 2011.

Dorcus, 47, Isaac and their second son, Emmanuel, joined their father later. "He said he was always homesick and missed Dorcus and the two boys then," Kashanku wrote in an email.

In Houston, the couple had the youngest of their three sons, Israel Jr., who was nicknamed Jay, and whose addition to the family was a welcome surprise.

The couple put enormous effort into sending their children to prestigious private schools.

"Israel and Dorcus made sure they had the best education possible," said the Rev. Reagan Cocke of St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, who has known the family for more than a decade.

Seventeen-year-old Emmanuel Aruho Ahimbisib-we attends a boarding school in California. Isaac Tiharihondi Ahimbisibwe, who goes by Tiharihondi, attended Strake Jesuit before transferring to Memorial High School his senior year and graduating in May. It's unknown why he transferred schools.

Friends and family say his parents wanted him to attend college, but the teen seemed determined to join the Marine Corps. Kashanku said they eventually supported Isaac's goal, with Israel even driving him to and from the gym where he trained.

On Jan. 26, Israel visited with a former professor at Rice University while he was on campus to use the library. The two chatted for more than an hour about his future and possibly publishing his dissertation on the genocide in Rwanda and the role the Old Testament could play in helping reconcile the county.

Israel also discussed his son's decision to join the military.

Elias Bongmba, the Harry and Hazel Chavanne Chair in Christian Theology and professor of religion at Rice University, said that during their talk, he felt the couple had come to terms with the choice and that it was no longer a huge point of contention.

Bongmba relayed his own misgivings about his son joining the U.S. Navy, though he later thought it was the best decision for him.

"So I told him, if Isaac wanted to go, to just let him go," he said.

The revelation that Isaac lied about joining the military further puzzled grieving friends and family. The military has no record of taking any steps to enlist.

"It just didn't make any sense," said the Rev. Howard Castleberry, an Episcopal priest.

The conversation Bongmba had with Israel was likely one of the last the Episcopal priest had with anyone. According to the police timeline, the last time anyone heard or saw from Israel, his wife or Jay was the next day.

Emmanuel Aruho spoke with his mother for the last time that day, court records show. She told him that they believed Tiharihondi was lying about enlisting and planned on confronting him. He asked that she let him know how it went. That is the day court records indicate he is accused of killing his family.

The next day, Isaac went to lunch with a friend. He was last seen in Houston on Jan. 29, telling a neighbor he was reporting for duty with the Marine Corps the next day.

Services and vigils

On Feb. 2, authorities discovered the three bodies in the apartment after concerned friends called police after several days of not hearing from the family.

The brutality of the scene of the crime is a stark contrast to the soft and gentle temperament so many knew Isaac to have.

Kashanku recalled the last time the family visited Uganda last June. He said Isaac, a responsible and courteous teen, helped his 4-year-old cousin with a school project, carefully crafting spider webs, butterflies and insects. He also took great care of Jay, whom he loved very much, he said.

Several memorial services and vigils have been held over the course of the week for the family. Over and over, friends spoke of the kind family, who touched so many lives with their warmth and kindness.

They spoke of Israel, his shining smile and love for the Hebrew Bible. They told stories of Dorcus, her infectious laugh and giving spirit.

And they remembered the sweet-faced little Jay, always doted on by his older brothers. They thought of Emmanuel, whom family friends say is being supported his friends and teachers.

They also prayed for Isaac.

"That's all we can do now," Fergus said. "That is our prayer."

Staff writer Dane Schiller contributed to this report.