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The town of Kaufman is a little on edge, with good reason. First the Assistant District Attorney, now the District Attorney and his wife?
Who shoots someone 20 times?
Who shoots someone 20 times?
A Texas district attorney was shot 20 times and his wife Cynthia was shot once when they were gunned down in their home on Saturday, a federal source with knowledge of the investigation told NBC News.
Earlier, an affidavit in the case said each of the victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.
The slayings of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia have rocked the semi-rural town on the eastern outskirts of Dallas and beyond.
The brazen direct attack on the justice official comes weeks after Colorado's prison director Tom Clements was shot to death at his home, with a paroled white supremacist ex-con killed in a Texas shootout the main suspect.
The deaths also came less than three months after McLelland had publicly vowed to track down the killer of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, who was shot dead midday Jan. 31 in the middle of Kaufman town square.
In a search warrant affidavit, deputies told an investigator they saw cartridge casings inside the residence near the two bodies during a protective sweep of the home. Sheriff’s office personnel observed multiple gunshot wounds, the statement said.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported on the affidavit’s contents on Tuesday, which was also reviewed by Reuters.
The Kaufman County Sheriff was expected to release an update on the case on Tuesday. A scheduled Tuesday morning news briefing was cancelled and reporters were told the next update would be done via a news release.
Law enforcement officials have been somewhat tight-lipped on the investigation into the double murder since the night of the killing.
No connection has been reveal to the Hasse killing – where no bullet casings were found -- and no suspects have been named.
Count Judge Bruce Wood, however, said on Monday he believes the fatal shooting of the prosecutors are related.
“This was just not some random act,” he told the Star-Telegram. “It seems to me there has to be some connection.”
Federal prosecutors told NBC News they are working on different theories on who might be responsible for the double slaying. One is the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a white supremacist jail gang. Dozens of its members were charged with crimes in a multi-agency investigation that included McLelland's office. Other officials have played down that angle.
Other theories being investigated are drug cartels, or a lone gunman with a grudge. Still, a federal source tells NBC News there is no clear theory that stands out to explain the apparent assassinations, and no direct link with any groups has been reported.
Assistant District Attorney Brandi Fernandez on Monday was named to take over for McLelland and will hold the district attorney job for 21 days or until Gov. Rick Perry appoints a successor.
Meanwhile, hundreds of law enforcement professionals — including the FBI and the Texas Rangers — are working on the case amid fear as well as perseverance.
Judges and prosecutors arrived at the county courthouse under heavy protection on Tuesday morning, flanked by armed guards.
“I think everyone is sad over this,” County Judge David Lewis,, a friend of McLelland who attended the same church, told NBCDFW.com. When asked if there was a sense of fear, he said, "Sure. Yeah… We’re going to keep going on, and we’re going to do the best we can.”
Though police have so far given few answers, there was optimism at the courthouse that the crime would be solved.
"I am confident they will find whoever committed this crime," Wood said.
A public memorial service for the McLellands was scheduled for Thursday at First Baptist Church of Sunnyvale in Mesquite. The couple will be buried in Mike McLelland's hometown of Wortham.
Earlier, an affidavit in the case said each of the victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The reason for the discrepancy was unclear.
The slayings of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia have rocked the semi-rural town on the eastern outskirts of Dallas and beyond.
The brazen direct attack on the justice official comes weeks after Colorado's prison director Tom Clements was shot to death at his home, with a paroled white supremacist ex-con killed in a Texas shootout the main suspect.
The deaths also came less than three months after McLelland had publicly vowed to track down the killer of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse, who was shot dead midday Jan. 31 in the middle of Kaufman town square.
In a search warrant affidavit, deputies told an investigator they saw cartridge casings inside the residence near the two bodies during a protective sweep of the home. Sheriff’s office personnel observed multiple gunshot wounds, the statement said.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported on the affidavit’s contents on Tuesday, which was also reviewed by Reuters.
The Kaufman County Sheriff was expected to release an update on the case on Tuesday. A scheduled Tuesday morning news briefing was cancelled and reporters were told the next update would be done via a news release.
Law enforcement officials have been somewhat tight-lipped on the investigation into the double murder since the night of the killing.
No connection has been reveal to the Hasse killing – where no bullet casings were found -- and no suspects have been named.
Count Judge Bruce Wood, however, said on Monday he believes the fatal shooting of the prosecutors are related.
“This was just not some random act,” he told the Star-Telegram. “It seems to me there has to be some connection.”
Federal prosecutors told NBC News they are working on different theories on who might be responsible for the double slaying. One is the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a white supremacist jail gang. Dozens of its members were charged with crimes in a multi-agency investigation that included McLelland's office. Other officials have played down that angle.
Other theories being investigated are drug cartels, or a lone gunman with a grudge. Still, a federal source tells NBC News there is no clear theory that stands out to explain the apparent assassinations, and no direct link with any groups has been reported.
Assistant District Attorney Brandi Fernandez on Monday was named to take over for McLelland and will hold the district attorney job for 21 days or until Gov. Rick Perry appoints a successor.
Meanwhile, hundreds of law enforcement professionals — including the FBI and the Texas Rangers — are working on the case amid fear as well as perseverance.
Judges and prosecutors arrived at the county courthouse under heavy protection on Tuesday morning, flanked by armed guards.
“I think everyone is sad over this,” County Judge David Lewis,, a friend of McLelland who attended the same church, told NBCDFW.com. When asked if there was a sense of fear, he said, "Sure. Yeah… We’re going to keep going on, and we’re going to do the best we can.”
Though police have so far given few answers, there was optimism at the courthouse that the crime would be solved.
"I am confident they will find whoever committed this crime," Wood said.
A public memorial service for the McLellands was scheduled for Thursday at First Baptist Church of Sunnyvale in Mesquite. The couple will be buried in Mike McLelland's hometown of Wortham.
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