Peaceful Warrior — Gun Enthusiast, Veterans For Peace Activist Murdered

Even with regard to his outspoken political views, Denton resident David Honish, 52, was a quiet man.

“He was the first neighbor who’d greeted us when we moved in,” said Christopher Largen, Honish’s next-door neighbor. “He never really had many guests over, and he was always working in his garden. For the life of me, I can’t remember him ever saying a single negative thing about his brother, and we talked a lot.”

On Thursday night around 11:30 p.m., Officer David Carol of the Flower Mound, Texas police department found Honish slumped over the steering wheel of his white Ford F-150, on the dirt shoulder off of Highway 377 at the intersection with FM 1171. He was discovered on routine patrol and declared dead on the scene. According to sources, Honish suffered two gunshot wounds not one, as reported by other media organizations with bullets impacting his face and neck.

Honish had moved to Denton from Austin nearly a year and a half ago, with the intent of opening the largest indoor firing range in North Texas. His brother, Mark, 44, who now stands accused of the murder, was to be his business partner. According to David’s ex-wife, the two had an ongoing feud, although police and investigators have been reticent to speculate on a motive.

In David Honish’s truck, a printed e-mail to his brother containing a seemingly ambiguous threat was discovered.

“You don’t roar at me and wag your finger in my face, EVER AGAIN IN THIS LIFETIME [expletive]! I explained to you in Feb 2006 that I was finished taking [expletive] from you. I meant it. There will be severe consequences for noncompliance … because of your own stupidity and your ongoing felony possession of firearms,” David wrote. There was no further stipulation as to what consequences he was referring to, although the legal reference seemingly points to a detrimental, albeit non-violent series of events that had been set in motion.

Flower Mound police made a cast of tire tracks found at the scene, and matched them to Mark’s black Ford pickup. Officers who went to confront Mark, who piloted chartered aircraft for a living, discovered him leaving his home in Trophy Club on his way to work. Officers then found several drops of blood on the driver’s side of the vehicle’s running board. Another portion of the pickup’s exterior appeared to have been recently wiped down. Detectives also matched the mud on the pickup’s tailpipe to mud from the scene.

In spite of the firearms possession claim made by David Honish against his brother, Mark has not been charged with any such crime. Flower Mound Police Public Information Officer Wendell Mitchell was not aware of a murder weapon being found, and the investigation will be ongoing for some time.

Though known by many people, and highly regarded as intelligent, well-spoken, polite and courteous, few actually knew David Honish in any personal respect.

“David used to play with my kids sometimes,” said a neighbor who asked her name not appear in print. “He got along really well with almos