SWEENY, Texas — Public records and new comments from Sweeny Police Chief Brad Caudle provide additional context about messages between former Sweeny ISD employee Benard "Nardo" Flores and a man Caudle described as a suspect in the investigation into the killing of 16-year-old Robert Lee Phillips III.
The messages included information about police and Texas Rangers interviews taking place at Sweeny High School, advice to obtain an attorney and earlier exchanges that appear to discuss purchasing drugs.
Caudle said Flores' contact gave the suspect advance notice that investigators were looking into him. Although Caudle does not believe the available evidence supported a criminal charge against Flores, he described the contact as reckless and said it compromised or potentially harmed the investigation.
"I was in no way condoning him reaching out to Eddie and giving Eddie any kind of heads-up that there was an investigation going on," Caudle told Gulf Coast Times. "That wasn't his place to do that, and I think that was reckless."
Flores said he was standing up for students and that his relationship with Eddie existed outside of his work for the district.
Robert's mother, Nancy Phillips, said she remains uncertain about what the messages mean and wants the truth about her son's killing.
The released records do not accuse Flores of taking part in the killing.
Students interviewed following Phillips' death
Phillips was killed April 20, 2025, at the Windmill Run Apartments in Sweeny.
On April 22, Sweeny police and Texas Rangers interviewed several students at Sweeny High School about information they may have had concerning the incident.
A memorandum prepared by Sweeny ISD Police Chief Ulysses Velez said the students were potential witnesses and were not being interviewed as suspects. The interviews were conducted in administrative offices that had been closed to normal traffic.
A district timesheet showed Flores working that day as a paraprofessional and coach.
Messages gave suspect notice of investigation
Investigators later examined a cellphone seized during the criminal investigation and found a conversation involving an account labeled "Nard Lemon."
District records attributed the account to Flores. The other account was labeled "LilWhoadie."
Earlier district records described the phone's owner as a person of interest. Caudle has since described Eddie as a suspect in the homicide investigation.
The April 22 conversation began shortly after 2 p.m., while students were being interviewed at the school.
A message attributed to Flores stated:
"yo lil bro name in everything family"
Another message sent at 2:09:08 p.m. stated:
"these kids up here singing"
Flores then wrote:
"idk either but it's texas rangers everywhere"
and:
"they interviewing kids"
At 2:12:38 p.m., Flores wrote:
"man idk what's being said I tried to walk by the interrogation room but its kids everywhere being talked too"
The wording indicates Flores did not claim to know precisely what was being said inside the interviews, but he did tell Eddie that students were speaking with investigators and that names were being discussed.
Later in the conversation, Flores advised:
"y'all need to get a lawyer and not speak to anyone"
He also wrote:
"i just wanted to lyk that the cops out an they doing investigations"
Another message stated:
"bro trust me if i thought you was a killer i wouldn't have hit you up"
The recipient denied involvement and said accusations involving him and his brother were false.
Flores also reached out to another student who was absent because he "was worried hed be searched or called in for interview."
Caudle says warning created opportunity to prepare
Caudle said the messages gave Eddie advance notice that police were focusing on him in the homicide investigation.
"It definitely interfered to an extent that it gave Eddie the heads-up that he was being involved in an investigation for this homicide," Caudle said.
Caudle explained that once a suspect knows police are looking into him, that person has the opportunity to prepare for what investigators may do next.
“Once he knows he’s under the spotlight of law enforcement, well, he’s going to start preparing,” Caudle said.
Caudle distinguished that concern from whether the messages changed the evidence investigators obtained in the homicide case. He said the conversation did not affect the investigation by giving police evidence “one way or the other,” but he believed the warning itself caused or could have caused damage.
The chief also said he did not believe investigators could prove a clear criminal violation by Flores.
“We did have what I feel like something that compromised our investigation, but I don’t know if it would’ve been to the degree of criminal,” Caudle said.
Asked whether he would pursue charges against Flores if faced with the same evidence today, Caudle said no.
He said proving intent would have been difficult and that, based on the circumstances, he did not believe the Brazoria County District Attorney’s Office would have accepted a criminal charge.
“I don’t think we would’ve had a criminal charge,” Caudle said. “Although I had reservations over the situation and how it occurred.”
Earlier messages appear to discuss a drug purchase
The cellphone extraction also contained earlier conversations between the phone number identified in the records as “Nard” and an iCloud account associated with Eddie.
Those exchanges took place between March 27 and April 9, before Phillips was killed.
On March 27, Eddie’s account wrote:
“Wit the gas”
The number associated with Nard responded:
“you said you had some newshit ?”
Eddie replied:
“Hell yea”
Later that night, Flores said he had his child and could not drive to “the mill.”
He then wrote:
“if you could drop 2 off i’ll buy two”
The participants discussed either meeting that night or completing the exchange the following day.
On April 1, Eddie’s account wrote:
“Yooo lmk sum good gassss”
A later message stated:
“3 for $25 Brodie I’m off td”
On April 9, Nard asked whether Eddie was at work and wrote:
“i need 1”
Eddie responded that he was off and told him to come by. The messages then discussed payment through cash, Cash App or Apple Pay.
At 3:08:02 p.m. on April 9, the number associated with "Nard" sent a message stating, "here." Nine seconds later, Eddie's account replied, "Coming."
District records show Flores had not yet clocked out from Sweeny ISD at the time the message was sent. The timing appears to indicate that the sender had arrived at the planned meeting location while Flores was still recorded as working for the district. The messages do not identify the location or independently establish what, if anything, was exchanged.
The terminology, quantities, price and payment discussion appear to concern a drug purchase. However, the messages do not explicitly identify the substance, and the released records do not contain a charge arising from that exchange.
Caudle did not identify the substance during his interview with Gulf Coast Times. He did, however, express concern about other portions of the conversation from an ethical standpoint because Flores was a school employee and was viewed as a role model by students.
The district’s employee-misconduct memorandum focused on the April 22 messages about the police interviews. The released records do not state whether the earlier apparent drug-related exchanges contributed to the decision to place Flores on leave.
Eddie arrested on evidence-tampering allegation
Caudle said Eddie was initially arrested on a warrant for tampering with evidence after investigators developed probable cause that he had tampered with shell casings shortly after the shooting.
“We were able to prove that Eddie had gone out and tampered with shell casings shortly after the shooting,” Caudle said.
The chief said Eddie was taken into custody under a warrant obtained through the district attorney’s office.
Caudle said Eddie later bonded out of jail and was arrested again following an alleged retaliation incident. According to Caudle, a victim chose to pursue charges, and investigators obtained another warrant.
Those arrests were for alleged evidence tampering and retaliation, not a homicide charge.
Chief explains purpose of Letter involving Flores
After the messages were reported to Sweeny ISD, Flores expressed concern about how they were affecting his employment.
Caudle wrote a July 29, 2025, letter stating that the messages did not appear malicious and were unlikely, by themselves, to have affected the criminal investigation.
In his new interview with Gulf Coast Times, Caudle said the letter was intended to clarify that Flores was not being investigated as a suspect in the homicide. It was not meant to approve of his decision to contact Eddie.
“I wasn’t excusing in any way him reaching out to Eddie,” Caudle said.
Caudle said school officials appeared to believe the conversation had played a significant role in the homicide investigation. His letter was meant to explain that the conversation did not produce or change evidence in the case.
“Nardo’s letter was more for him to present to the school showing that that in itself wasn’t a factor in our investigation,” Caudle said.
He added:
“I was in no way condoning, or in my letter was I condoning, him reaching out to Eddie.”
Caudle’s updated comments draw a distinction between conduct that he considered reckless and conduct that investigators believed could be successfully prosecuted as a crime.
Police provided messages to school district
Sweeny Police informed Sweeny ISD about the messages after finding them during the cellphone review.
Caudle met with Velez and provided copies of the relevant communications. Velez then prepared an employee-misconduct memorandum and notified district administration.
The memorandum said police had not detected communication or activity by Flores that hindered the investigation to a degree that provided cause for criminal charges.
That conclusion concerned whether Flores could be criminally prosecuted. The district separately considered whether his conduct raised employment or professional concerns.
Sweeny ISD placed Flores on paid administrative leave July 23, 2025.
The leave prohibited him from entering district property, attending school activities and communicating with district employees, students or parents about his employment. He was instructed to remain available and cooperate with the administrative investigation.
Flores resigned effective immediately the following morning.
The released records do not include a completed district investigation, a final disciplinary decision or a finding that Flores violated a named policy.
Flores says he was standing up for students
"I was standing up for the kids," Flores said. "Me and Eddie's relationship outside of school had nothing to do with the case nor anybody at the school. Everybody has something they do outside of work. We all have a life."
Flores said that once he learned about Eddie’s involvement, he responded accordingly.
“The moment I found out he was involved in the grand scheme of the murder, I played my role,” Flores said.
Flores did not explain what actions he meant when he said he “played my role.” His answer also did not specifically address the messages involving “gas,” quantities, prices and payment.
Flores said he grew up at Windmill Run and that some of the young people connected to the investigation had been his students.
Nancy Phillips wants the truth
Nancy Phillips told Gulf Coast Times she had reviewed the messages.
When asked which parts stood out, she pointed to the highlighted messages saying students were “singing,” naming another person and describing an attempt to walk near the interview room.
“I don’t really know what to think of none of it,” Phillips said. “My son was killed over it, so I don’t know.”
Phillips said Caudle had previously spoken to her about the communications, but she did not see the messages herself until recently.
“I knew about them,” Phillips said. “They said something, but I never got to see them till now.”
Phillips said she wants answers about her son’s death.
“I just want to get the truth out of it,” she said. “See what’s going on.”
Phillips said she had not seen an arrest on a homicide charge at the time she spoke with Gulf Coast Times.
Investigation continues
Caudle said he believes Sweeny police have presented a strong homicide case to the Brazoria County District Attorney’s Office and hopes the investigation will soon move toward indictments.
“I’m hoping that we’re going to have some good news as far as moving forward with our homicide investigation,” Caudle said. “I think we presented a pretty good case to the DA’s office.”
Caudle also expressed frustration with what he described as delays in the case.
“I don’t like the stalling that appears to be occurring over there,” Caudle said. “I think we’re well past due for getting some indictments, and I’m hoping it’s coming soon.”
No homicide indictment or arrest was identified in the records or interviews reviewed for this report.
Gulf Coast Times will update this article as additional court records, law-enforcement findings or responses become available.