Travis County commissioners have approved a settlement to Judge Julie Kocurek to head off a lawsuit over the November 2015 attempt on her life.
The KVUE Defenders and Austin American-Statesman have confirmed commissioners agreed to pay Kocurek $500,000 for not doing more to protect her before she was shot at outside her West Austin home on Nov. 6, 2015. Despite a reported death threat against her, no one told Kocurek or other judges that someone may want to kill them. Kocurek was in the hospital for nearly two months after the attack, and did not return to the bench until late February 2016.
Kocurek was returning home from a high school football game when the shooter approached her car and opened fire. Three men – Chimene Onyeri, Marcellus Burgin and Rasul Scott – have been indicted on federal charges in connection to the attack. Onyeri had a pending case in Kocurek’s court and was facing prison time.
This is a developing story. Please check with KVUE.com for updates.