A Denton County grand jury has returned a murder indictment against a man who allegedly shot his girlfriend’s husband in a parking lot across the street from the Denton Police Department while the victim’s children watched.

Gary Landers, 55, of Paint Rock is accused of shooting to death Richard Benovic, 49, of Justin on May 7. Landers is free on $250,000 bail.

According to Denton police, Landers came to Denton at about 6 p.m. with the woman and children, who are 9 and 13 years old. Benovic was supposed to take the children for visitation. The situation had become violent in the past, so they agreed to meet in the parking lot with police nearby.

The two men began arguing and it escalated into fighting, according to police reports, and Landers, a retired Federal Aviation Administration investigator, drew a pistol and fired it several times at the children’s father, who was unarmed. Benovic was declared dead at the scene.

Ana Benovic, Richard Benovic’s estranged wife, told the Denton Record-Chronicle that he was abusive and that her boyfriend was forced to shoot him. But Benovic’s relatives denied that he was a violent man and said he was shot down in cold blood.

No trial date has been set.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com.