Kirk Preston Watson - Mayor of Austin, Texas | Facebook
Kirk Preston Watson - Mayor of Austin, Texas | Facebook
On February 3, 2025, at around 3:09 p.m., the Austin Police Department (APD) responded to a disturbance in the 700 block of Azie Morton Road. Officers found Arthur Richter, who reported that someone had shown him a firearm before leaving the area. Shortly after, APD received calls about a man being "flung off the hood" of a car nearby.
Upon arrival, officers discovered James Hough on the ground with apparent trauma from falling off a vehicle. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead at 4:36 p.m.
Investigations revealed that Richter had initially reported a disturbance involving another individual who left before police arrived. Richter then got into an altercation with Hough, assaulted him, and took his phone. Hough attempted to retrieve his phone by climbing onto Richter's car hood. Richter drove away quickly and braked hard, causing Hough to fall and suffer fatal injuries. Richter left the scene afterward.
A warrant for First Degree Murder was issued for Arthur Robert Richter on February 4, 2025. He was arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in Temple, Texas on February 5, 2025.
The Austin Police Department encourages anyone with information to contact them at 512-974-TIPS or anonymously through Capital Area Crime Stoppers at austincrimestoppers.org or by calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for information leading to an arrest.
This incident marks Austin's fifth homicide of the year.
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