‘Billions’ Actor Akili McDowell Charged With Murder Over Parking Lot Shooting

Actor Akili McDowell, best known for his roles in the Showtime drama “Billions” and OWN network’s “David Makes Man,” has been arrested and charged with murder.

The charges stem from the parking lot shooting death of Cesar Peralta, which occurred in Houston on July 20. McDowell was previously charged with theft on August 1 and subsequently arrested for murder on August 2, per The New York Post. 

According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to an incident at the parking lot of an apartment complex at 13503 North Thorntree, where they discovered an adult male pronounced dead at the scene, who was later identified as 20-year-old Peralta. The victim had sustained gunshot wounds.

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McDowell, 21, was still being held on a $400,000 bond at the Harris County Jail Facility as of Monday, per The Hollywood Reporter. The actor’s relation to the victim was still unclear as of Tuesday, and how McDowell responded to the charges is also unknown. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

The actor played the character ​​Savion Williams in two episodes of “Billions.” He also had a starring role in “David Makes Man,” a coming-of-age drama about a teenage prodigy named David (McDowell) who lived in the projects in South Florida while attending a school for academically gifted students. 

He is also slated to star in the movie The Waterboyz, which is about two men who choose very different paths in life. One tries to follow the rules, and the other creates chaos.

McDowell, who was 16 when he was cast in “David Makes Man,” reflected on his role and the series’ message during a 2019 interview with Oprah. He said that the storyline shows that “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.”