Billions’ Actor Akili McDowell Arrested and Charged with Murder

Akili McDowell Facing Serious Charges

Akili McDow­ell, the ris­ing star known for his roles in the Show­time series “Bil­lions” and the OWN show “David Makes Man,” has been arrest­ed and charged with mur­der in con­nec­tion to a dead­ly shoot­ing in Hous­ton, Texas. The inci­dent took place on July 20, and McDow­ell was booked on August 1 for theft before being charged with mur­der on August 2.

Details of the Incident

Accord­ing to Har­ris Coun­ty Sher­iff Ed Gon­za­lez, the shoot­ing hap­pened in the park­ing lot of an apart­ment com­plex. Gon­za­lez stat­ed that McDow­ell, 21, has been charged with the mur­der of Cesar Per­al­ta, 20. 

The inves­ti­ga­tion is ongo­ing, and the sher­if­f’s office is encour­ag­ing any­one with infor­ma­tion to come forward.

McDow­ell’s bond is set at $400,210 for both the theft and mur­der charges. It’s unclear how he came to be charged or if he has entered a plea or has an attor­ney. The con­nec­tion between McDow­ell and the vic­tim is also unclear at this time.

Rising Star’s Acclaimed Roles

Akili McDow­ell is best known for his roles in the Show­time series “Bil­lions,” star­ring Dami­an Lewis and Paul Gia­mat­ti, as well as the OWN show “David Makes Man.” The lat­ter was cre­at­ed by Oscar win­ner Tarell Alvin McCraney and loose­ly based on his own life.

In a 2019 inter­view with Oprah, McDow­ell, who was 15 when he land­ed the role in “David Makes Man,” spoke about the impor­tance of the show and his char­ac­ter’s jour­ney. “You can be some­thing. You don’t have to set­tle for what every­body may think you’re going to be. You can work to be bet­ter. And you can be bet­ter,” he said.

McDow­ell’s court dates are set for August 6 for the theft charge and Octo­ber 9 for the mur­der charge.