TV star accused of murder in shooting death of man in Houston parking lot

Now 21 and facing a murder charge, Akili McDowell rose to fame at 15 for his leading role in David Makes Man

Akili McDowell rose to fame at the age of 15 for his leading role in David Makes Man (Harris County Sheriff’s Office)

David Makes Man star Akili McDowell has been charged with the murder of a man in a parking lot in Houston.

Police found 20-year-old Cesar Peralta in the parking lot of an apartment complex near Uvalde Road in the eastern part of the city suffering from multiple gunshot wounds back on 20 July.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and less than two weeks later, 21-year-old McDowell was arrested and charged with his murder.

Harris County Jail records reveal that McDowell was booked on 2 August on a $400,000 bond.

He was also booked the day before on a theft charge and is due to appear in court on 6 August for this charge, with Law&Crime reporting that this is connected to a misdemeanor case from July 2023 after McDowell allegedly stole a pair of headphones.

It also reported that documents stated he was “charged with murder while on bond for theft.”

Akili McDowell has been charged with the murder of Cesar Peralta (Getty Images for IFP)

Charging documents say that McDowell “unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly” caused the death of Peralta, and as of 5 August, it remains unclear what the relationship between the two men was.

McDowell’s manager, Jonell Whitt, told Law&Crime that this is “an unfortunate situation and I am in prayer for Akili and those impacted by this tragedy.”

Akili McDowell rose to fame at the age of 15 for his leading role in David Makes Man (Harris County Sheriff’s Office)

Scheduled to appear in court for the murder charge on 10 September, McDowell rose to fame at the age of 15 for his lead role in the coming-of-age drama series David Makes Man.

The critically acclaimed show originally debuted on the Oprah Winfrey Network in 2019. It was renewed for a second season, which premiered in 2021.

David Makes Man stars McDowell as the titular teenage prodigy who lives in the South Florida projects but attends a magnet school for academically gifted youngsters. Nathaniel Logan McIntyre, Alana Arenas and Kwame Patterson also feature.

McDowell earned his first on-screen TV credit in two episodes of The Astronaut Wives Club in 2015. He has also had minor appearances in Showtime’s Billions and the TV show I Am Athlete.

The actor more recently featured in director Coke Daniels’ 2024 film The Waterboyz alongside Rockmond Dunbar, La La Anthony, Omar J Dorsey and rapper Quavo.

He also currently has two projects in post-production: the horror film The Halloween Club and a short thriller film Stay with Me – A Goodman Chronicles.