Bonds Set for East Texas Man Charged with Capital Murder

VAN ZANDT COUNTY � A man has been arraigned in a Van Zandt County shooting that left his wife dead and her boyfriend critically wounded. Larry Michael Maples, 34, of Ben Wheeler, is held without bond on a capital murder charge. Bond was set at $100,000 on a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The incident happened around 6:00 Sunday morning at 2642 Farm Road 26, west of Canton. According to the Van Zandt County Sheriff�s Office, Maples contacted authorities and confessed to shooting the two individuals. Investigators determined that Maples had arrived at the residence and shot the owner, identified as Moses Clemente, 47, of Canton, following a brief altercation. Authorities say Maples then shot and killed his wife, Heather Maples, 34, of Ben Wheeler.

Heather Maples was pronounced dead at the scene by a Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace. Clemente was transported to Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler where he was treated for a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. He is listed in critical condition and is expected recover fully. Sheriff Lindsey Ray says Heather Maples and Clemente had a relationship before she married Larry Maples. The Texas Rangers were called in to assist with the investigation and the processing of the crime scene. Maples was transported to the Van Zandt County Jail in Canton.