Push for more security for state judges after shooting
On 'Happening Now,' Austin investigative reporter Tony Plohetski reports on the suspected assassination attempt on State Judge Julie Kocurek
Authorities in Texas confirmed late Monday that a person of interest has been arrested in the shooting of a state judge outside her home over the weekend.
In a brief statement, Austin police said that the unidentified person was detained in Houston "for unrelated charges," but made no further comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
State Judge Julie Kocurek was shot and wounded late Friday as she returned to her home in an upscale area of Austin. She was last listed in stable condition at an Austin hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Kocurek, a former prosecutor, was appointed to the 390th District court in Travis County, which includes Austin, by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 1999. Later, she became the only Republican elected to a state district judgeship in the left-leaning county, but switched parties and became a Democrat in 2006.
"Our hearts go out to Judge Kocurek and her family. We wish her a speedy recovery," the Texas Democratic Party tweeted Saturday. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's office said he was praying for Kocurek's recovery and for Austin police "in apprehending those responsible."
She is perhaps best known for her statements after former Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on felony coercion and abuse-of-power charges by an Austin grand jury in August 2014.
Perry held a news conference where he vowed: "This farce of a prosecution will be revealed for what it is" adding that "those responsible will be held to account." Kocurek responded that that could be interpreted as a threat against members of the grand jury, and that they would be protected from Perry or anyone else since "no one is above the law."
Perry abandoned his presidential campaign in September, and now only faces the abuse-of-power charge, which is being reviewed by the state's highest court.
The judge also is overseeing the oft-delayed case of Mark Norwood, who has pleaded not guilty in the 1988 killing of an Austin woman, Debra Masters Baker. Norwood was convicted of the 1986 slaying of Christine Morton, whose husband wrongly spent nearly 25 years in prison for her death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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