Suspect in Fort Worth store clerk's murder turns himself in

FORT WORTH, Texas - The man accused of killing a well-known Fort Worth convenience store clerk over the weekend has turned himself in.

Investigators believe Christian Silva, 20, fatally shot Jimmy Khela, 38, on Saturday at the Pronto Food Store on East Long Avenue.

Silva turned himself in to Fort Worth police Wednesday afternoon.

Police say surveillance video shows Khela didn't put up a fight.

A woman who was also working at the Pronto Food Store said she jumped out of the drive-thru window as shots were being fired at her. Minutes later she called the owner who was out of town.

“She called me and she said they robbed us and they killed Jimmy,” the owner said. “I said no jokes please no, but she was crying and I heard the sirens of the police cars."

Police think Silva is a suspect in other robberies. The owner recognized his mug shot from a previous arrest.

"He was a customer,” he said. “This guy, he used to come through the drive-thru."

Khela worked two jobs. He drove a bus at the airport and worked weekends at the store.

“All the customers here, they loved him,” said his friend, Karam Abdelmeseeh. “Why a lot of people leave flowers outside and candles?”

Friends say Khela cared most about his church and his family: a wife, 2-year-old son and a 5-year-old daughter. He called her every night from work because she couldn't sleep until she heard from her father.

Khela’s co-workers, customers and friends gathered over the weekend to mourn the loss.

“He was just a fun-loving guy, joked around,” said regular customer Tamara Heflin. She lives just down the street from the store and said she comes in almost every week. “He would assist us if we were, ya know, 50 cents short on something, bring it in when you come back, no problem.”

Silva is currently being held at the Fort Worth City Jail.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for Khela's family members: www.gofundme.com/JimmyKhela