Derek Abernathy, 55, was found shot to death inside a home on the 200 block of Bull Durham Road in Wills Point, Texas. Police were called on a Sunday evening; by early morning the quiet neighborhood was sealed off with crime-scene tape as investigators worked the scene. Local reporting and memorial notices give his date of death as September 29, 2025. Some outlets rendered his first name as Derrick, but official accounts identify him as Derek Abernathy.

During the overnight investigation, detectives questioned a juvenile. Police Chief Aaron Long said the minor confessed around 3:50 a.m. to committing the homicide by multiple gunshot wounds. The youth was taken into custody and transported to a Van Zandt County juvenile detention center, and local outlets reported a murder charge was filed. Texas Rangers and the Van Zandt County District Attorney’s Office joined the investigation. Authorities said any possible motive would not be released out of respect for the family, and investigators did not disclose further details about what happened inside the home that night.

If anyone in Wills Point knew Derek Abernathy or observed activity on Bull Durham Road on the night of September 29, did you see or hear anything that could help explain what happened?