AUSTIN - Federal charges have been filed against a Houston man and two alleged accomplices in the attempted assassination of State District Court Judge Julie Kocurek in November 2015.
Chimene Onyeri, 28, Marcellus Burgin, 26, and Rasul Scott, 24, have been charged in the conspiracy to kill Kocurek. The 27-page indictment alleges the three engaged in a criminal conspiracy. Burgin and Scott allegedly converted stolen debit card numbers into cash and acted as lookouts for Onyeri in the shooting.
Austin police and FBI agents tried to arrest Burgin Thursday night but he took off. Houston police joined in a high-speed chase through southwest Houston. Burgin lost control on Westhollow near Richmond and crashed into a light pole. Burgin escaped on foot and police are still searching for him. He is considered armed and dangerous. Burgin is described as a 26-year-old black male, 6’2” and weighing approximately 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.
Crime Stoppers of Houston is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to arrest of Burgin. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the FBI San Antonio Field Office at 210-225-6741 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
Onyeri was arrested in Houston on Nov. 10 in connection to the murder of Jacobi Demond Alexander, 31. Harris County prosecutors dropped the murder charge in May 2016. He moved to Austin May 18 to face a motion to revoke his probation on a 2012 larceny charge in Travis County, and has been in the Travis County Jail since then.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Scott was arrested Thursday in New Orleans and is in federal custody.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the indictment, unsealed Friday, charges the three with: "one count of conspiracy to participate in an enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and, one count of aggravated identity theft."
Onyeri is also charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, an additional count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six additional counts of aggravated identity theft.
Onyeri, Burgin and Scott allegedly - from January 2012 to November 2015 - carried out schemes for financial gain in Austin, Houston, Louisiana and surrounding areas. They allegedly used skimmers and cameras on ATMs to steal personal information from victims and drain their bank accounts.
Onyeri has been described as the “prime and only suspect” in the attempted assassination of District Judge Julie Kocurek, who was shot at outside her west Austin home shortly after 10 p.m. Nov. 6, 2015. Kocurek and her family were returning home at the time of the shooting, and she was hit by shrapnel. Kocurek was hospitalized for two months after the shooting. She returned to the bench Feb. 29, 2016.
.Kocurek is a former prosecutor and has served as the presiding judge of the 390th District Court since January 1999. She was appointed by then-Gov. George W. Bush. She became the only Republican elected to a state district judgeship in Travis County. In 2006, she switched parties and became a Democrat.
If convicted, the three face up to life in federal prison for the conspiracy charge, up to 20 years for the conspiracy to commit mail or wire fraud charge, and a mandatory two years in federal prison for each aggravated identity theft charge.