Testimony begins Thursday, Oct. 29, in the capital murder trial of Shane James in Austin. He is accused of killing six people in December 2023. Three other people were hurt.
Capital murder is the top murder charge in Texas. If James is convicted, the sentence is automatic. It is life in prison with no chance of parole.
Jury selection finished on Wednesday, Oct. 28. His lawyers say they will argue he is not guilty by reason of insanity. It has been noted in court that he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Two legal words matter here. Competency is about his state of mind now. Can he understand the case and help his lawyers? An insanity defense is about his state of mind at the time of the crime.
A jury ruled him competent on Monday, Oct. 26. It heard from two psychologists. Then it talked for about 15 minutes. Courts found him not competent in 2024. He spent time at a state mental hospital. He was ruled competent in 2025.
Here is what police say happened. James was 34. They say he shot his parents, Phyllis James and Shane James Sr., at their home in Bexar County. Investigators believe they died between 10 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 9 a.m. on Dec. 5.
Police say the shootings went on in Austin that same Dec. 5. At 10:41 a.m., an Austin school district police officer was shot near Northeast Early College High School. At 11:59 a.m., a man and a woman were shot dead near South 1st Street and William Cannon Drive.
A cyclist was shot and hurt on West Slaughter Lane at 4:57 p.m. An Austin police officer was also shot and hurt. Two women were found dead in a home in the 5300 block of Austral Loop at 6:50 p.m. Police say there was a shootout.
Reports differ on his arrest. One timeline says he was arrested at 7:14 p.m. after a car chase that ended in a crash. Another report says he was found at a home during a burglary in progress at about 6:48 p.m. Police say he was charged with capital murder on Dec. 6.
The jury will decide what the facts show.
Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.
