Waco, Texas · May 1, 2018 A 32-year-old shot in his car outside the Red Lobster — one arrest, a grand jury that declined to indict, and a mother still asking, eight years on. This file documents the record.
SUBJECT: JUSTIN BIBLES — WACO, TEXAS
Unsolved
🚶 Walk the File
Travel the case the way an investigator reads it — from a Tuesday-morning shooting in a restaurant parking lot to a grand jury's closed door and a mother's eight-year campaign, one page at a time.
9 pages · May 2018 → October 2026 · every page sourced
CrowdSleuth publishes photographs only from official releases, family releases, public records, or licensed sources — so this file shows the place, not the person. Photographs of him circulate on his memorial page and in his family's posts; those images are the family's, and none is published here. If his family shares one for this file, it will be added with their credit.
Location The Red Lobster parking lot, 5900 block of Waco Drive, by Richland Mall, Waco, Texas (KCEN reporting, May 2018) Date Tuesday, May 1, 2018 — shot late in the morning; died that afternoon Justin Bibles Age 32 · of Waco · a local rap artist (KCEN) · funeral services in Hillsboro, Texas (funeral record) Death Shot while sitting in his car; taken to Hillcrest Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after 5:30 p.m. (KCEN, May 1, 2018) The arrest Kenneth James Smith, 25, of Bosqueville, was arrested on May 8, 2018 and charged with murder (KCEN). A McLennan County grand jury later declined to indict him; he was released and has never been tried Status Unsolved. No arrests have been made since the grand jury's decision; Waco police said in 2021 that the investigation continues The record KCEN's reporting from May 2018 and May 2021, the funeral-home listing, and anniversary coverage through 2026. No autopsy ruling has been located
Justin Bibles
Justin Wayne Bibles was 32 years old, a Waco rap artist described by KCEN as well-known locally. On the late morning of Tuesday, May 1, 2018, he was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the Red Lobster in the 5900 block of Waco Drive, near Richland Mall, when, witnesses told police, a man got out of a white pickup truck with large wheels, shot him, and got back in; the truck, carrying two people, drove off, and Bibles' car rolled into a third, uninvolved vehicle. Officers arrived shortly after 11:15 a.m. He was taken to Hillcrest Hospital and pronounced dead shortly after 5:30 p.m. Investigators said they believed he had been targeted, and did not say why.
A week later, on May 8, 2018, Waco police and U.S. Marshals arrested Kenneth James Smith, 25, of Bosqueville, and charged him with the murder. The charge went to a McLennan County grand jury, which declined to indict; Smith was released, and no arrest has been made since. His mother, Zada Bridgewater, has kept the case in public view ever since — anniversary balloon releases, a "Justice for Justin" rally at the courthouse in 2021, and anniversary posts into 2026 — while telling reporters she believes the police have waited for tips instead of pursuing them. The department says the case is difficult and still open. Both positions are on the record, in their sections below.
A note on his name — the record does not agree on it. His family's funeral listing gives Justin W. Bibles, and his family uses Bibles. KCEN spelled it both ways in 2018 alone — "Bible" in its shooting-day report, "Bibles" in its arrest report — and "Justin Wayne Bible" in 2021. This file follows the family and the funeral record: Justin Bibles.
The timeline — full text
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 — late morningOfficers arrive at the Red Lobster parking lot near Richland Mall shortly after 11:15 a.m. and find a man with a gunshot wound. Witnesses tell police the shooter got out of a white pickup truck with large wheels — two people were in the truck — shot the victim, who was in another vehicle, and left; the victim's vehicle then crashed into a third, uninvolved vehicle. A later report places the restaurant in the 5900 block of Waco Drive and reports he was shot in the head while sitting in his car. Police spokesman Sgt. Patrick Swanton says investigators believe the victim was targeted, though they do not know why, and asks anyone with information to call Detective Woodruff at 254-750-7614 or the department at 254-750-7500. — KCEN (6 News), May 1, 2018 READ ARTICLE; KCEN, May 8, 2018 READ ARTICLE
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 — shortly after 5:30 p.m.The victim is identified as 32-year-old Justin Wayne "Bible" [the station's spelling in this report] and is pronounced dead at Hillcrest Hospital. His family's funeral listing names him Justin W. Bibles. — KCEN (6 News), May 1, 2018 READ ARTICLE; McDowell Funeral Home listing OPEN RECORD
Tuesday, May 8, 2018 — the arrestWaco police and U.S. Marshals arrest Kenneth James Smith, 25, of Bosqueville, at a trailer in a northwest Waco neighborhood, and he is charged with the murder of Justin Bibles, described in the report as a well-known local rap artist. The report states no bond and gives no account of the evidence. What became of the charge is recorded in the 2018 grand-jury entry below: the grand jury declined to indict, and Mr. Smith was never tried. — KCEN (6 News), by Jim Hice, May 8, 2018 READ ARTICLE
Saturday, May 12, 2018 — the funeralServices for Justin W. Bibles are held at 11:00 a.m. at Central Baptist Church, 1100 Bynum Road, Hillsboro, Texas, with burial at Ridge Park Cemetery in Hillsboro. — McDowell Funeral Home listing OPEN RECORD
2018 — the grand jury declines to indictKCEN's later reporting states the outcome: a man was arrested shortly after the shooting, a grand jury ruled not to indict, and no arrests have been made since. Grand-jury proceedings in Texas are secret; the evidence and the panel's reasoning are not public — only the decision is. Community coverage of the family's campaign dates the decision to December 2018UNVERIFIED — KCEN confirms the no-bill without giving its date. — KCEN (6 News), May 1, 2021 READ ARTICLE
Saturday, May 1, 2021 — three years onOn the third anniversary, the family holds balloon releases and plans a "Justice for Justin" rally at the Waco courthouse for Monday, May 3. His mother, Zada Bridgewater, tells KCEN the department seems to be passively waiting for tips rather than actively pursuing them — and that she has heard more from the department in the past month than in the previous three years. The Waco Police Department, in a statement in the same report, calls the case a difficult one, says the investigation continues and will continue until justice is served, and asks anyone with knowledge who has not come forward to contact the Special Crimes Unit at 254-750-7500 or Waco Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 254-753-4357. — KCEN (6 News), by Matt Lively, May 1, 2021 READ ARTICLE
2023 — five years onKWTX's cold-case series Gone Cold devotes an episode to the case, noting that five years after Justin Bibles was shot to death in the Red Lobster parking lot, his mother is still fighting for justice. The episode is linked in Watch & listen; this library has not reviewed its full contents. — KWTX Gone Cold (2023) WATCH
Friday, May 1, 2026 — eight years onThe case is marked publicly on its eighth anniversary: journalist Lindsay Liepman posts a commemoration built around footage of the taped-off Red Lobster scene, and his mother posts a short documentary-style video restating the case. No arrest, indictment, or official update accompanies the anniversary in any source located. — Anniversary coverage, as documented in the sections below
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 — this file opensThis file was compiled from KCEN's contemporaneous May 2018 reporting, its May 2021 anniversary report, the funeral-home listing, Gun Memorial's catalogue entry — which also cites the Waco Tribune-Herald's May 2018 report, "Man dies after parking lot shooting; police seek suspects" — and anniversary coverage through 2026. No medical examiner's ruling and no standalone Waco PD release document were located; the department's statements here come from its spokesmen and statements as carried in the reporting. If the autopsy record or any post-2021 official update becomes public, this file will be updated. — CrowdSleuth research desk, Oct. 13, 2026
The unverified record — memorial and community accounts
Beyond the reported record, this case is carried by a memorial page and by community coverage of his mother's campaign. Those accounts are part of how the case lives in public, so they are set down here — each credited, each stamped, none of it stated as fact. Where the two layers differ, the reported record above governs.
The Gun Memorial pageJustin's page on Gun Memorial — maintained from community-contributed material — gives his full name as Justin Wayne Bibles and records that he was a musician and rapper who went by "J Bird," headed Break Bread ENT, and attended La Vega schools. Its listed news source is the Waco Tribune-Herald's May 2018 report.UNVERIFIED— Gun Memorial, community-contributed fields OPEN RECORD
The grand jury's date, per community coverageCommunity video coverage of the family's campaign dates the grand jury's decision to December 2018 and describes the reason given publicly as insufficient evidence. KCEN confirms the no-bill itself; it does not date it, and the proceedings are secret.UNVERIFIED— Community coverage of the family campaign
A father of fourAn August 2026 community post about the case describes Justin as a father of four whose family, eight years on, still seeks answers. The contemporaneous reporting in this file does not state it.UNVERIFIED— Community post, August 2026
Public statements — who has said what, on the record
Sgt. Patrick Swanton, Waco PD spokesman · May 1, 2018On the day of the shooting, Sgt. Swanton said investigators believed the victim had been targeted, that police did not yet know why, and that there was no ongoing threat to the public beyond the shooter himself. Police asked for information about what led to the shooting and about the suspect vehicle — a white pickup truck with large wheels carrying two people. — As reported by KCEN, May 1, 2018
Zada Bridgewater, his mother · May 2021His mother said the department appeared to be passively waiting for tips from the community rather than actively pushing for them, and that she had heard more from the department in the past month than in the previous three years. — To KCEN, May 1, 2021
Waco Police Department · statement reported May 2021The department called the case a difficult one for investigators, said it is continuing to investigate and will continue until justice is served, and asked anyone who may have knowledge of what actually happened, and has not come forward, to contact the Special Crimes Unit (254-750-7500) or Waco Crime Stoppers (254-753-4357, anonymous). — As reported by KCEN, May 1, 2021
Statements are summarized in CrowdSleuth's words except where quotation marks are shown. Entries stamped UNVERIFIED carry an account or claim credited to its source but not established by investigators or documents.
People in the record
Justin Bibles· 32 · Waco, Texas · local rap artist · shot May 1, 2018; services May 12, 2018, in Hillsboro, with burial at Ridge Park Cemetery
His mother Zada Bridgewater · the public face of the family's campaign — anniversary releases, the 2021 courthouse rally, and anniversary posts through 2026
The man arrested in 2018 Kenneth James Smith · of Bosqueville · arrested May 8, 2018 and charged with murder · a grand jury declined to indict him; he was released, has never been tried for this killing, and no public record since names him as a suspect
Waco Police Department Sgt. Patrick Swanton · spokesman quoted on the day of the shooting · Detective Woodruff · the detective named in the department's May 1, 2018 request for information
The records — what exists, and what has not been located
KCEN reporting, May 2018 — the shooting-day report and the arrest report: the contemporaneous spine of this file. Status: PUBLIC
Waco PD statements — the department's spokesman statements and its 2021 statement, carried in KCEN's reporting; no standalone release document was located. Status: PUBLIC VIA REPORTING
Waco Tribune-Herald report, May 2018 — "Man dies after parking lot shooting; police seek suspects," cited by Gun Memorial's catalogue entry. The full text was not opened in preparing this file. Status: CATALOGUED
Grand jury proceedings, 2018 — secret by law; only the outcome, a decision not to indict, was reported. Status: NOT PUBLIC
Autopsy / medical examiner ruling — no ruling has been located in the public sources reviewed. Status: NOT PUBLICLY LOCATED
Investigation status — the department's last statement in this file (2021) says the investigation continues. No later official update has been located through October 2026. Status: OPEN, PER PD (2021)
If you hold a document this file lacks — the Tribune-Herald's 2018 report, an autopsy record, a post-2021 official update — the "Add to This Case" button below exists for exactly that.
Watch & listen
🎙️ KWTX, Gone Cold — "Who killed Justin Bibles?" (2023). The cold-case series' episode on the case, five years on. Watch →
🎙️ KCEN (6 News) — the family seeks justice, three years on (2021). The video companion to KCEN's third-anniversary report. Watch →
CrowdSleuth links to recordings and videos; it does not copy or re-host them.
How to read this file: One man was arrested for this killing, and a grand jury declined to indict him. That outcome is stated wherever his name appears in this file, because an arrest is not a conviction and this library does not treat it as one. The rest of the record is two weeks of reporting from 2018, one anniversary report from 2021, and a mother who has not stopped asking. CrowdSleuth takes no position on what happened that morning. If you know something about this case, Waco police ask that tips go to the Special Crimes Unit at 254-750-7500 or Crime Stoppers at 254-753-4357.
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Case File 015 · Justin Bibles
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