AUSTIN, Texas — A Travis County jury has found Dietrich White guilty of murdering his father in 2018.
According to the Travis County District Attorney's Office, jury selection in the case began on Nov. 27, and testimony started the following day. On Dec. 4, the jury deliberated and found Dietrich White guilty of murdering his father, Richard White, in November 2018. On Dec. 5, the jury sentenced Dietrich White to life in prison.
On Nov. 11, 2018, police were called to a Red Roof Inn in South Austin, according to KVUE's news partners at the Austin American-Statesman. In the parking lot, officers found Richard White injured and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife and his son, Dietrich White, were present.
The Statesman reports that Dietrich White initially told officers on the scene that earlier that day, he had picked up his father on the side of the road. He said his father told him he had been in a fight.
However, police described scratches and bruising on Dietrich White's hands that they said were "consistent" with injuries sustained during a fistfight.
The Statesman reports that in the days after his father's death, Dietrich White told police conflicting stories about what happened to his father.
The DA's Office said Dietrich White was arrested on Nov. 16, 2018, and charged with his father's murder. On Dec. 1, 2022, he was reindicted for murder.
"Our office takes acts of violence seriously and is committed to holding people who commit violent crimes accountable," Travis County District Attorney José Garza said. "We hope this outcome brings closure and peace to the victim's family who sought justice in this case."
To read more about the crime, read the Statesman's full report.
