AUSTIN, Texas — For nearly 17 years, Austin Police Department Detective David Fugitt has investigated some of the city's most heinous crimes.
He recently reached a new professional achievement: He opened his 50th case as the lead homicide investigator – more than any other in the department's history.
"It's a pretty major milestone," Fugitt, 48, said.
He joined the department's homicide unit in 2003 and has worked on headline-grabbing cases, including the murder of Jennifer Cave by Colton Pitonyak in 2005, as well as less well-known murders stemming from domestic violence cases or drug deals gone bad.
"When a homicide occurs, you are kind of that lifeline that they look at to bring justice," he said of victims' families. "It's a pretty awesome responsibility."
Fugitt said the murder of Officer Jaime Padron in 2012 particularly impacted him.
Padron was shot in a North Austin Walmart after responding to a report of an intoxicated shoplifter. The shooter, Brandon Daniel, is on death row.
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"Seeing Jaime in that uniform was tough," he said. "I don't think that is something I'll ever forget."
“I remember that morning vividly, looking out at citizens of Austin coming up to the flagpole," he said, "and placing flowers and candles and teddy bears at the base of the flagpole and, at one point, I had to try to tune all that out. I even had to shut my blinds just to focus on what I needed to do at that point.”
Fugitt, the son of a hospice nurse, said he has always been comfortable with death.
He began his career in policing as a dispatcher at the Benbrook Police Department outside Fort Worth. He worked as a patrol officer and in the Missing Persons Unit in Austin before moving to the Homicide Unit – the same year he finished his criminal justice degree at Texas State University.
Of the 50 cases for which he has served as the lead investigator, Fugitt has solved all but four.
He recently received a coveted Chief's Coin for meritorious service and, last year, was honored with the Detective of the Year Award from the Rotary Club of Austin.
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