Police in Travis County, Texas, say they’ve arrested an attorney who was trying to hire a hitman during a drug deal. This wasn’t your typical drug deal, of course, because authorities allege that the 62-year-old attorney involved was the drug dealer.
Per the Austin American-Statesman, attorney James N. Walker was reportedly supplying a police informant with heroin when murder-for-hire became a topic of conversation. Here are some additional details:
A man, identified only as “Joshua” in the report, told police that his heroin dealer was trying to get him to kill someone for him because of a dispute. The report said police identified the dealer as Walker by locating his home and allowing “Joshua” to identify him in a photograph.
Police surveilled a drug deal between “Joshua” and Walker on Thursday, the affidavit said. Walker agreed to pay $1,000 and provide a gun to kill the victim, it said.
Ready for What’s Next: 5 Ways to Strengthen Economic Resilience
Get five practical tips to spot cash flow red flags early, speed up payments, track spending in real time, and build stronger client trust through clear, transparent billing—download the ebook.
Walker, a graduate of St. Mary’s Law, was practicing out of an office located inside of a car dealership, per KEYE-TV. Classy! Here’s his booking report from the Travis County Jail:
Walker was charged with criminal solicitation of capital murder, a first-degree felony, and his bail was set at $100,000. He’s remained behind bars since his arrest on Friday.
Walker’s Texas Bar website bio says that as a solo practitioner, he does legal work in a range of areas, including criminal law. FYI, Mr. Walker, right about now would be a great time to refer this criminal case out, so we hope you used your phone call wisely.
Attorney accused of trying to hire a hit man [American-Statesman]
Austin Attorney Accused of Trying to Hire Man to Murder Someone [KEYE-TV]
APD arrests Austin attorney for attempting to hire a hitman [KTBC Austin]