Scott Bartlett, 42, was found shot inside a home on the 1200 block of Lillius Street in north Abilene late on October 15, 2025. Officers responded a little after 11 p.m.; he was given aid, taken to Hendrick Medical Center, and died shortly after arrival. Police confirmed his identity the following day and asked the public for tips while detectives worked the case.

Within 48 hours investigators arrested 20-year-old John Manuel Rangel Jr. and booked him into the Taylor County Jail on a first-degree murder charge; the arrest notice tied Rangel to the Lillius Street shooting. Court filings and witness accounts described a confrontation linked to a drug-related debt: a witness said Rangel had visited the home repeatedly to collect money Bartlett allegedly owed, that the two spoke in the living room the night of the killing, then the witness heard Rangel say he didn’t want to do this followed by two gunshots, and that the assailant fled carrying a small silver handgun.

Does anyone in Abilene have information about Bartlett’s movements on Lillius Street or about repeated visits there for debt collection?