AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: An earlier version of this story stated that James would appear in court Wednesday. The court hearing was later moved to Thursday and only his attorneys were present. At the pre-trial hearing, the judge granted the state's motion to consolidate James' bonds, which currently total more than $1 million. Attorneys are still in the discovery phase and will meet back in court on April 11 for an update. James is set to appear that day.
It's been more than two months since police arrested a man after a deadly shooting spree that stretched from San Antonio to Austin.
Shane James Jr. is accused of killing six people and injuring three others. His attorneys will appear in court Thursday.
The murders and assaults stretched from San Antonio to Austin between the nights of Dec. 4 to Dec. 5. There were multiple crimes reported across multiple jurisdictions, so on Thursday, the public could learn more about how prosecutors will put all these cases together.
James is accused of killing his parents, Phyllis James and Shane James Sr., before driving up to Austin and shooting Austin ISD police officer Val Barnes. He's accused of then killing Emmanuel Pop Ba, Sabrina Rahman, Katherine Short and Lauren Short. He then allegedly shot an Austin police officer and a cyclist, who both survived. James faces multiple aggravated assault and capital murder charges.
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"These are the most serious charges that anybody can face in the state of Texas, because whenever you're charged with capital murder, of course, you're eligible for the death penalty. And whether that'll be sought in this case or not is unknown," Charlie Baird, a former Travis County district court judge, said.
Baird said in a case like this, there's really no way out of a punishment.
"If they seek the death penalty, they're successful with that, achieving that punishment, then I can see that maybe Travis County would not prosecute those cases for a while. What would be the purpose of that? So actually just saving some judicial resources," Baird said.
On Thursday, James' attorneys could begin to lay out a defense.
"If an individual has a history of mental health issues, sometimes those issues can go toward mitigating the punishment. And it might talk to or convince one of the prosecuting authorities to not seek the death penalty," Baird said.
If that defense is successful, Baird said James could avoid a traditional prison altogether.
"Then he would be placed in a mental health facility, and I would think that he would spend the remainder of his natural life in that mental health facility," Baird said.
Baird believes the reason it's taken so long for James to appear in court is because Bexar County and Travis County prosecutors are likely coordinating who will try this case first. If he's found guilty in one county and receives the maximum sentence, the other county may decide to forego its case to save time and resources.