HOUSTON – The man named a person of interest in the shooting of an Austin judge faced a judge in Houston Thursday morning for murder in an unrelated charge.
State District Judge Julie Kocurek was shot outside her home in Austin Friday. Austin police said Chimene Onyeri, 28, is a person of interest in the shooting that left the judge wounded.
Investigators, however, have charged Onyeri in a recent murder case.
Onyeri is charged with the murder of 29-year-old Jacobi Alexander at an apartment complex in the 6700 block of Westbranch Falls on May 18.
Prosecutors went over the evidence against Onyeri Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, the prosecutor suggested a possible motive for the shooting was a traffic accident near the apartment building earlier in the month that involved Alexander and Onyeri's father, Innocent Onyeri.
According to the prosecutor, there was an argument following the crash, and she said during the confrontation, Alexander punched the elder Onyeri in the face hard enough to send him to a hospital.
In court today, prosecutor Justin Keiter said, "So it appears it became a form of retaliation the next day when the complainant was found shot to death."
A witness told prosecutors that the next day the younger Onyeri went to Alexander's apartment with a gun, shot him eight times, and later bragged about it.
According to the prosecutor, the witness told police Onyeri shot Alexander at least four times in the abdomen and then stood over him shooting him at least four more times in the head at close range.
Onyeri's attorney, Sam Adamo, insisted police have the wrong man and said their witness is lying.
"I'd like to know who that person is," Adamo said. "I'd like to do a background check on that person, I'd like to know if he has a criminal record, I want to know what motive he has not to tell the truth in this situation."
The judge ordered Onyeri held without bond, and trial is set for Sept. 12.