AUSTIN -- The jury assigned to the trial for Chimene Onyeri learned Tuesday that he allegedly bragged about his attempt to shoot and kill a Travis County judge after she was hospitalized, according to testimony from an Austin police officer who was assigned to work on the case from 2015 to 2017.
Judge Julie Kocurek was severely injured after returning home from a football game in November 2015. She was looking at Christmas lights with her family when a gunman fired shots.
The police officer said they received a tip that Onyeri, 30, was bragging about the incident days after the fact. The officer testified that it helped them hone in on him as a suspect in the case.
Tuesday, a Houston police officer and U.S. Marshall deputy told the jury that they had a photo of Onyeri, and were told to bring him in for questioning.
They each said they went to Onyeri's father's house in Houston, and saw a silver Dodge Charger -- a car they believed to be Onyeri's -- drive toward the house, and turn away last minute.
When the Houston officer pulled the charger over, the U.S. Marshall deputy said they "immediately knew it was him."
The deputy said they found two cell phones on the floor of the back seat -- one of them smashed -- and shattered glass on the seat where Onyeri was sitting. Investigators testified that the SIM card was still in tact, allowing them to still pull data and photos.
Prosecutors said there were photos of Kocurek's car from the day of the shooting on the cell phone.
RELATED:
The officer added that the investigation shifted to Houston after investigators learned that Onyeri lived there.
A Harris County Sheriff's Deputy told the jury that he pulled jail call records, and said Onyeri made 429 calls from jail between November 2015 after the was arrested and April 2016.
He said he was also asked to pull calls after a 2012 arrest in the Austin area, and said he made 345 calls during that time.
An FBI firearms specialist testified said the 4 shell casings found outside Kocurek's home were from the same 40 caliber Smith and Wesson pistol.
Kocurek is expected to testify against Onyeri at some point in the trial, which the judge expects could last six to eight weeks.
Onyeri faces a 17-count indictment for things like identity theft and mail fraud in Austin's federal court and will face up to life in prison if he is found guilty.
There's a special sentencing allegation that includes the attempted capital murder of Judge Kocurek.
KVUE's Christy Millweard is covering the trial. Follow along for the latest updates from the courtroom: