Shooting suspect could face death penalty

HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas – A judge in Henderson County has given the prosecution a deadline to decide whether to pursue the death penalty for a suspect in double murder. Chandler resident Lance Kaeden Rains, 25, showed up for a pretrial hearing in Judge Scott McKee’s courtroom Wednesday morning. Rains is charged with the shooting deaths of Chandler residents Gabriel and Beverly McBride in December 2018.

Judge McKee set a future court date of August 5 as the deadline for the state’s decision because at Wednesday’s hearing, the state had not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty for Rains. If Rains is found guilty, he will be subject to a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of release if the death penalty is not applied. Following a lengthy investigation by the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Rains was taken into custody in January 2026.