TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas – A Travis County judge set the tentative date for a Bexar County man charged in connection with the capital murder of multiple people three years ago in the Austin area.
Court records show Shane James Jr. appeared in court Thursday morning before Judge Cliff Brown, who presides over Travis County’s 147th Criminal District Court.
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Brown determined James’ trial will begin with jury selection on Monday, Oct. 26. The announcement comes less than a year after he was declared competent to stand trial in Travis County.
James has been accused of killing four people in the Austin area in December 2023.
On Dec. 5, 2023, James shot and killed Emmanuel Pop Ba, 32, during a carjacking in the 7300 block of Shadywood Drive, the Austin Police Department said.
Officers said Sabrina Rahman, 24, was on the porch of a nearby home and witnessed the shooting. Police said James, who was 34 at the time, shot and killed her — narrowly missing her baby in a nearby stroller.
Several hours later, investigators said James broke into a home in the 5300 block of Austral Loop and shot two women. The third and fourth Austin-area shooting victims, who later died, were identified as Katherine Short, 56, and Lauren Short, 30.
James — who was also accused of shooting an Austin Independent School District police officer, an Austin PD officer and a bicyclist — was taken into custody on that same day.
The Bexar County connection
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, James, who is now 37, shot and killed his parents in northeast Bexar County before he allegedly killed four people in Austin.
Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies forced entry into a home that was leaking water on Dec. 5, 2023, in the 6400 block of Port Royal. Upon entry, deputies said they found the bodies of a man and a woman inside.
During a news conference the following day, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar identified the victims as James’ parents: 56-year-old Shane James, Sr. and 55-year-old Phyllis James.
As of Thursday afternoon, there did not appear to be any 2023 charges filed against James Jr. in Bexar County’s online justice portal.
KSAT reached out to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Thursday for an update on James’ case. So far, the agency has yet to respond to KSAT’s request.
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