Attorneys for Shane James plan to raise an insanity defense at his capital murder trial, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 26. His attorney, Russell Hunt Jr., filed a notice saying the defense intends to present evidence that James was legally insane when the shootings happened. The three-page filing does not name a diagnosis or describe the evidence.
Under Texas law, an insanity defense looks at a defendant's mental state at the time of the alleged crime. The defense must show that, because of a severe mental disease or defect, the defendant did not know his actions were wrong. This is separate from competency to stand trial. A judge found James incompetent in October 2024, and a Travis County judge ruled in July 2025 that he had regained competency.
Authorities say James killed his parents, Phyllis James, 55, and Shane James Sr., 56, at their Bexar County home on Dec. 5, 2023. They say he then killed four people in Austin and wounded three others, including two law enforcement officers. James faces several charges, including multiple counts of capital murder and attempted capital murder.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said James's family had told authorities he had a history of mental illness. James was arrested in 2022 after being accused of assaulting his parents and a sibling.