Onyeri sentenced to life in prison in judge shooting
Ryan Autullo | rautullo@
Chimene Onyeri, the Houston man who plotted the attempted assassination of Travis County state District Judge Julie Kocurek in November , will spend the rest of his life in federal prison.
His life sentence came down Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel, who called Onyeri's actions "heinous" and worthy of the stiffest punishment available to the court.
In explaining his decision, Yeakel told a courtroom packed with Kocurek’s supporters that "an attack on a public official strikes at the heart of our constitutional government."
Onyeri spent several weeks tracking Kocurek's patterns before showing up outside her driveway at her West Austin home, walking up to her SUV and shooting four times at her as the judge and her family returned from a football game. Kocurek survived, but has required plus surgeries to recover from wounds sustained in the attack.
At trial this spring, prosecutors successfully argued to a jury that Onyeri wanted Kocurek dead so she could not send him to prison on a probation violation and disrupt a criminal theft and fraud enterprise that he ran. Onyeri,
Onyeri Gets Life in Prison
Julie Kocurek in (Photo by Jana Birchum)
On Tuesday, Travis County State District Judge Julie Kocurek spent her 54th birthday in another judge's courtroom, watching the man who nearly killed her nearly three years ago receive the maximum punishment – life in prison, as U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel sentenced Chimene Onyeri on the 17 charges for which he was convicted back in April.
Those charges did not include attempted capital murder; Onyeri was instead found guilty on racketeering, mail and wire fraud, identity theft, and witness tampering charges, related to his extensive criminal "enterprise" in Texas and Louisiana. But Onyeri did admit in court to firing the shots that put Kocurek in the hospital for six weeks and left her missing a finger, among other permanent injuries, and the racketeering charge relates to his preparations for that attack.
During testimony on Monday, prosecutors focused on Onyeri's past and potential future acts of violence, including details of two prior murders – in and – in which Onyeri was implicated but never charged. Kocurek was targeted and attacked in her driveway, with her son Will
A year-old Nigerian man, Chimene Onyeri, will spend the rest of his life in federal prison and will pay restitution of $, for his financial crimes, U.S. District Judge, Lee Yeakel, said, on Tuesday, in downtown Austin. .
On April 26, Onyeri was found guilty on 17 counts of mail fraud, identity theft, wire fraud, racketeering, witness tampering and the attempted capital murder of state district court judge, Julie Kocurek. .
Kocurek was in the courtroom both days of the sentencing phase. She is relieved and feels at peace at this time. .
“It’s been two years and 11 months and it feels so good to wake up in the morning and to know my family is safe from Mr. Onyeri and his associates,” said Kocurek. .
There is no option for parole in the federal court system. Onyeri’s attorney, Victor Arana, was trying to get his client a lesser sentence of 30 years. Prosecutors say Onyeri has ten co-conspirators who are still awaiting sentencing.
Onyeri admitted to shooting his initial trial judge, Kocurek, in the driveway of her home, but, he denies attempting to kill, or even injure her. He previously testified he only wanted to scare her.
Related
traffic stop led to shooting of Judge Kocurek, prosecutors say
Ryan Autullo | rautullo@
More than three years before Travis County state District Judge Julie Kocurek was ambushed and shot outside of her West Austin home, two Houston men were found with materials indicating they were conducting a fraud operation.
The incidents are related, prosecutors have suggested this week in federal court.
Chimene Onyeri, who is charged in connection with the November attack that left the judge injured from glass and shrapnel, was a passenger in a rented SUV that Rollingwood police stopped in March for speeding on Bee Cave Road. A search of the vehicle uncovered 50 blank credit card forms, a credit card reader and a laptop. Side doors and cup holders were filled with gift cards. The driver, Bernard Akwar, had a fake ID and a fake Social Security card.
READ: Man on trial in Judge Kocurek shooting has beaten two murder charges
Rollingwood police detective Joel Martin took the witness stand Tuesday and said he sensed something was wrong when Onyeri handed over a car rental agreement that listed the name of a man other than Onyeri or Akwar.
The men were arrested and late
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