The Billions actor, 21, was booked into the Harris County Jail on Thursday, August 1, on charges of murder and theft.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a social media post on August 3 that McDowell had been charged with the murder of Cesar Peralta.
Deputies responded to an incident around 9:15 pm in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 13503 North Thorntree, near Wallisville and Uvalde in East Harris County. The post read: “An adult male (possibly in his 20s) sustained gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Suspect(s) fled the scene.”
An update to the post reads: “Homicide Investigators charged Akili McDowell (21) with murder in the shooting death of Cesar Peralta (20). McDowell was recently taken into custody and booked into the Harris County Jail.” The investigation is ongoing, and authorities encourage anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100. Peralta was not armed.
According to online jail records, McDowell is being held on a $400,000 bond for the murder charge and has a court appearance scheduled for Monday, August 5. For the theft offense, his bond is set at $210, with a court date for the theft charge on August 6 and another for the murder charge on October 9.
McDowell’s manager, Jonell Whitt, told Law&Crime that the arrest was “an unfortunate situation, and I am in prayer for Akili and those impacted by this tragedy. I respectfully have no comment at this time.”
Jail records show the theft charge appears to be related to a misdemeanor case from July 2023, after McDowell allegedly stole a pair of headphones. Documents stated that he was “charged with murder while on bond for theft.”
McDowell is known for his role as David in OWN’s David Makes Man, which follows a 14-year-old named David from the projects who is haunted by the death of his friend and relied on by his hardworking mother to find a way out of poverty.
