Texas man gets life imprisonment for attempt to kill judge

AUSTIN, Texas – A 31-year-old Texas man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2015 assassination attempt on a state judge outside her home.

U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel sentenced Chimene Onyeri in Austin on Tuesday, months after a jury found Onyeri guilty of multiple counts of fraud, racketeering and other charges.

Trial evidence showed Onyeri, as part of a racketeering enterprise, shot state District Judge Julie Kocurek as she was in a vehicle returning to her home in Austin.

Federal prosecutors say Onyeri wanted her dead to avoid going to prison on a probation violation. Onyeri testified that he only intended to damage her SUV.

Kocurek underwent more than 20 surgeries and lost a finger after the attack.