AUSTIN – A "cowardly act on the fabric of society," is how Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo described the Nov. 6 shooting at the home of State District Judge Julie Kocurek.
Acevedo was speaking at an Austin Police Department press conference just hours after the name of a person of interest in Houston was revealed.
Chimene Hamilton Onyeri, 28, was arrested and charged in Harris County with murder in an unrelated case. No details of the case he's facing a murder charge for have been made known. The news was first reported by KVUE's sister station in Houston, KHOU.
Onyeri's name first came to the forefront earlier Tuesday when KVUE's Tony Plohetski reported sources identified Chimene as a person of interest. Onyeri has a criminal record including multiple arrests on charges including: fraud, identity theft, and evading arrest among others.
Onyeri's ties to Kocurek came from a pending motion in her court that would have revoked a plea deal in a fraud case, Plohetski reported. The motion to revoke the plea deal came after Onyeri was arrested in Louisiana for using a debit card in June that wasn't his. If the plea deal was revoked, Onyeri was likely headed to prison.
Acevedo said police have talked to several witnesses with regards to the shooting and that the crime lab is analyzing evidence. Austin Police are working to establish an "affirmative link," but he thinks they will be able to make the link.
The shooting happened last Friday night around 10:15 p.m. in the Tarrytown area of West Austin. Austin police said the shooting happened as Kocurek and her family arrived home. She was hit by shrapnel and glass when the shooter opened fire.
A representative for the Kocurek family released the following statement Tuesday:
"The Kocurek family is grateful for everything being done on their behalf and appreciates the effort being undertaken by those involved in the investigation. For the time being, Judge Kocurek and her family will remain completely focused on her recovery."
Kocurek is a former prosecutor and has served as the presiding judge of the 390th District Court since January 1999. She was appointed by then-Gov. George W. Bush. She became the only Republican elected to a state district judgeship in Travis County. In 2006, she switched parties and became a Democrat.
