AUSTIN, Texas — A man accused of killing an Austin defense attorney by stabbing him 28 times has been found guilty.
The jury found Justin Twyne, 26, guilty of first-degree murder on Monday over the death of James Short in 2017, the Austin American-Statesman reports.
Twyne pleaded not guilty in connection with the death at Short’s Rockwood Circle home in southwest Travis County.
Short, 74, was found dead on April 7, 2017. Investigators reportedly found a bloody knife with Twyne’s fingerprint on it at the scene.
According to the Austin-American Statesman, Twyne told the jury on Friday Short had sexually assaulted him at knifepoint. He claimed he grabbed the knife and turned it on Short.
Twyne’s attorneys argued that he had acted in self-defense.
After Monday’s verdict, Twyne faces up to 99 years in jail.