Travis County District Attorney José Garza released information Thursday related to every case against local police officers pending in the office’s Civil Rights Unit. The information involves cases such as the deaths of Javier Ambler in March 2019 and Michael Ramos in April 2020 that have received considerable publicity as well as investigations related to […]
Travis County District Attorney
Posted inPolice
Mike Ramos’ mother asks Austin police chief whether he’ll fire officer who killed her son
The mother of Mike Ramos, a Black and Latino man who was shot and killed by an Austin police officer in April, is calling on the department to act on investigations into the officer. At a press conference Wednesday, Brenda Ramos asked Chief Brian Manley to respond to the findings of the investigations into Officer […]
Posted inElections
District Attorney Margaret Moore concedes after José Garza’s commanding early lead
Incumbent District Attorney Margaret Moore has conceded after a commanding lead in early voting and mail-in votes in support of challenger José Garza. The Democratic primary runoff for the office pitted the embattled incumbent against a self-described progressive who says he hopes to revamp criminal justice at the office. With early voting numbers in, Garza […]
Posted inElections
District Attorney race heads to runoff election
José Garza celebrated his early lead against incumbent Margaret Moore at a campaign watch party at Mi Madre’s Restaurant in East Austin. With his early voting numbers showing a slight lead over Moore, he said he anticipated the race going to a runoff. Tuesday’s final numbers confirmed that suspicion. In the end, José Garza won […]
Posted inPublic Safety
The Provability Gap: Why sexual assault cases are so hard to prosecute in Austin
Austin had the highest number of rapes reported in large Texas cities in 2017. The rate of reported rapes that year was also nearly 40 percent higher than U.S. cities of similar size. The Travis County district attorney says law enforcement responded to more than 600 adult sexual assault allegations that year. Only one person […]
Posted inAustin
Amid criticism, Travis County DA resigns from state sexual assault task force
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore resigned from the state’s Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force on Friday. Her appointment was cut short after critics, including survivors suing over Moore’s record of handling sexual assaults, expressed concern. The task force was created this past legislative session to help promote best practices in rape investigations and prosecutions. […]
Posted inPublic Safety
New Texas law has Travis County dismissing marijuana cases
Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore said Wednesday her office is dismissing 32 felony cases involving possession or delivery of marijuana or THC, pending further investigation, as the result of a new Texas law legalizing hemp. The law, which took effect June 10, defines hemp as having a concentration of THC, the psychoactive compound in […]
Posted inCourts
Sexual assault survivor accuses Travis County prosecutor of lying about her case
Lawyers for a woman who says she was sexually assaulted in Austin are asking a court to force Travis County prosecutors to answer questions and provide evidence after learning of a prosecutor’s phone call they say defames the woman. Emily Borchardt is one of eight plaintiffs who filed a class-action lawsuit against the city and […]
Posted inPolice
Despite Austin’s crime lab meltdown, Texas is working to clear its DNA backlog
When Wendy Davis decided to find out how many untested rape kits there were in the state of Texas, she readily admits she had no idea what she was getting into. Davis, a former state senator, was first told that there was a backlog by a representative of the state forensics lab in 2009. Around […]
Posted inPolice
The implosion of Austin’s crime lab: A timeline
It has blindsided Austin’s criminal justice community. What started a year ago as a few concerns over an audit has spiraled into the permanent closure of the city’s crime lab and the firing of nearly all of its employees. The lab’s failures have added to a decades-long testing backlog, and may have compromised the evidence […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County DA announces not all police shootings will go before grand jury
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office will no longer bring all police shooting cases before a grand jury. Flanked by representatives of the local NAACP, police union and the Austin Police Department, District Attorney Margaret Moore announced the changes – effective immediately. “We, the DA’s office, the Civil Rights Division, will make a determination whether […]