WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — A man accused of trying to kill his ex-wife and her boyfriend had an "ironclad" alibi for months until a phone call from Louisiana.
Clinton Harmon was recently arrested while trying to board a flight in New Orleans. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said he's charged with two counts of attempted capital murder following a shooting in Liberty Hill earlier this year.
New details on the shooting
In March, Clinton Harmon's ex-wife was shot 11 times in the chest, abdomen, arms, legs, shoulder and neck. Her boyfriend was also shot twice. Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick said Wednesday that both survived "by the grace of God."
Investigators determined the shooting was not a random act of violence and Clinton Harmon's ex-wife told the sheriff's office that only he could have shot her.
Texts between the two showed frustration over financial concerns, and the woman's current boyfriend, which was tied to a custody battle involving Clinton Harmon's 7-year-old son in Williamson County. However, the sheriff's office said Clinton Harmon had a strong alibi that connected him to his home and his job in South Dakota.
During their investigation, the sheriff's office learned Clinton Harmon planned a route to Liberty Hill that avoided any cameras, license plate readers, or toll roads so he could say he was at home all night. But Harmon was not aware that his vehicle had a GPS tracker placed on it by the lien holder, which revealed his car was 0.4 miles away from where the shooting in Liberty Hill took place.
In July, Clinton Harmon's ex-girlfriend called the sheriff's office from Louisiana expressing concern that Clinton Harmon and his family may have been involved in the shooting.
How authorities discovered the plot
The sheriff's office said Clinton Harmon's ex-girlfriend mentioned a 2023 family meeting in Bastrop County where the family discussed killing Clinton Harmon's ex-wife along with the judge tied to the custody battle.
The sheriff's office said the family discussed using fentanyl to drug the victim and hiring "thugs from Austin" to carry out the crime. Investigators believe the family was plotting to kill the judge before the shooting in Liberty Hill.
"You can't make this stuff up type case. This is made for TV type of stuff," said Williamson County Sheriff Mike Gleason. "In this line of work everybody gets threatened with their jobs, but to literally start planning out on how to kill a judge and how to carry it out, and how do we get the narcotics to do it? I mean they were planning step by step on how to do it."
Clinton Harmon's ex-girlfriend said Matthew Harmon, Clinton's adopted father, mentioned during the family meeting that he would "do 10 to 20 to get that grandbaby."
Round Rock police, along with the sheriff's office and the U.S. Marshals, implemented safety measures to protect the judge and the victim for nearly a month after learning about the plot. The sheriff's office said they used marked patrol vehicles outside of both the victim's and the judge's homes constantly.
"That was a huge undertaking of riding that massive manpower to protect these people at all hours of the day and night," Gleason said.
On Aug. 1, the sheriff's office obtained phone recordings from Clinton Harmon's ex-girlfriend warning her that she incriminated herself by talking to detectives. He also allegedly tried intimidating her from cooperating with the investigation.
On Sept. 8, Clinton Harmon was arrested while trying to get on a plane in New Orleans. He's currently being held on a $2 million bond on charges of attempted capital murder and is awaiting extradition to Williamson County.
Meanwhile, Clinton Harmon's mother, Teresa Harmon and Matthew Harmon were arrested in Bastrop County on Sept. 16 for felony retaliation for threats against the judge. Their 38-year-old daughter was also arrested on an unrelated parole violation for allegedly possessing a firearm.
Teresa Harmon and Matthew Harmon remain in Bastrop County jail on a $1 million bond. The sheriff's office said more arrests have not been ruled out.
Dick said Harmon still has to be extradited to Williamson County to face charges, but as soon as that happens, his legal proceedings will begin. There is no exact timeline on when he will get transported back, but Dick said arrangements have been made and he is now eligible to be brought back.
Threats to judges increasing
According to data from the Texas Court Security Division, which collects statewide information on threats to judges, just this past year, threats to judges increased 125%. Earlier this month, Gleason was sitting on a roundtable discussion about U.S. Senator John Cornyn's "Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act."
The law would create a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center that would provide more physical safety resources for judges that Cornyn says the country is greatly lacking.
"We can't have judges and court personnel living in fear, and as you heard not just fear for themselves, but fear for the safety of their families as well," Cornyn said at the roundtable on Sept. 5 in Travis County.