On Friday, March 22, 1974, Deputy Jimmie McKay, a Process Server in the Courts Division, was working an extra job at a Houston Apartment Complex. The apartments were new and still under construction. Deputy McKay was hired to provide security for the construction site. Apparently, Mrs. Rose McKay was riding with her husband in order to spend more time with him. Deputy McKay observed a suspicious vehicle driving through the complex and decided to stop and check it. Deputy McKay's personal vehicle was equipped with emergency grill lights and a Sheriffs Department radio. He stopped the vehicle in the 2000 block of Hayes Road.

Around 11:00 p.m., two motorists found Deputy McKay on the side of the road shot once in the head. His wife was found lying in the front seat of their car shot to death, clutching the Sheriff's radio microphone in her hand. Deputy McKay and his wife were both 43 years old.

In 1997, detectives with the Homicide Division received information from a Harris County Deputy Sheriff about this event. The deputy had read a story in a police newspaper about murders of law enforcement officers in Harris County when he was sixteen years old. After he read the story he recalled having a conversation with someone several years ago that had bragged about murdering a deputy and his wife. At the time, he didn’t believe the story. Now he realized there may have been something to it. He was able to recall the name of the person he talked to. This information led to other individuals who gave specific information regarding the murders. After nearly twenty six years with this case remaining unsolved, two suspects have finally been charged with the murders. This investigation has culminated with the charge and convictions of Seymore Ashinsky and Michael Menslage, aka Michael Collins.
Menslage was living in Seattle, Washington until he was arrested by the HCSO Cold Case Squad and transported back to Houston. On January 31, 2001, Menslage pled guilty to the charge of Murder and was sentenced to twenty five (25) years at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Ashinsky pled guilty to the murders on June 19, 2000 and was sentenced to forty (40) years.

The investigation revealed what Deputy McKay and his wife Rose could not have possibly known on that fateful night. Deputy McKay had stumbled upon suspects that were transporting a large quantity of marijuana. When the suspects were stopped by Deputy McKay they had made an instant decision that they were not going to be taken to jail.