2012-03-31 Hayhurst
Southeast 58th Avenue incident and J.B. Hayhurst
The Southeast 58th Avenue incident was a fatal confrontation that occurred on March 31, 2012, outside a residence in the 1100 block of Southeast 58th Avenue in south Amarillo, Texas. Authorities alleged that J.B. Hayhurst fired at a departing pickup truck following a confrontation with its occupants. As the driver fled, the pickup struck Justin Rupe and a woman. Rupe died from his injuries on May 9, while the woman recovered.[1][2]
Hayhurst was arrested and charged with murder in May 2012. A Randall County grand jury indicted him on the charge in October. While detained, Hayhurst allegedly attempted to arrange the killings of two witnesses, leading to an additional charge of conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.[2:1][3]
In 2013, Hayhurst pleaded guilty under a plea agreement to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons. He received concurrent ten-year prison sentences.[3:1][4]
Incident
On March 31, 2012, Hayhurst was involved in a confrontation with the occupants of a pickup truck outside a residence in the 1100 block of Southeast 58th Avenue. According to authorities, Hayhurst emerged from the residence and fired multiple shots at the pickup.[1:1][2:2]
As the driver attempted to leave, the pickup struck two people: 39-year-old Justin Rupe and an unidentified woman. Rupe died on May 9, 2012. The woman survived and recovered from her injuries. Authorities did not charge anyone who had been inside the pickup.[1:2][2:3]
Investigation and arrest
Mitchell Evans initially told investigators that he had fired the shots. Authorities subsequently determined that his account was false. Evans later told investigators that he had attempted to take responsibility because Hayhurst was a convicted felon.[1:3][2:4]
Evans was charged with tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. On May 21, 2012, authorities arrested Hayhurst on a murder charge arising from Rupe's death.[1:4]
Public records cited in contemporaneous reports showed that Hayhurst had pleaded guilty to felony burglary of a building in 2004. He had also received deferred adjudication for burglary of a vehicle in 1992 and had two weapons-related convictions stemming from arrests in 1990 and 1991.[1:5][2:5]
Indictment
On October 3, 2012, a Randall County grand jury indicted Hayhurst on a murder charge. Prosecutors alleged that his decision to fire at the pickup caused its driver to flee and strike Rupe.[2:6]
Randall County Criminal District Attorney James Farren said prosecutors intended to rely on the legal doctrine of transferred intent if the case proceeded to trial. Under the prosecution's theory, Hayhurst's alleged intent to harm the pickup's occupants transferred to Rupe because the gunfire caused the driver to flee and fatally strike him.[3:2]
Witness-murder conspiracy
While detained in the Randall County Jail, Hayhurst allegedly attempted to arrange the murders of two witnesses connected to the case. He was subsequently charged with conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.[3:3]
Plea agreement and sentencing
In April 2013, Hayhurst entered a plea agreement in the 47th District Court. He pleaded guilty to second-degree felony manslaughter in Rupe's death and first-degree felony conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.[3:4]
The court sentenced Hayhurst to ten years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for each offense, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently. The Amarillo Globe-News court docket later recorded judgments on two charges and assessed ten years' imprisonment and court costs for each.[3:5][4:1]
The published docket described the second judgment in abbreviated form as “murder of multiple persons,” while the contemporaneous report of the plea identified the offense more specifically as conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.[3:6][4:2]
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 31, 2012 | Hayhurst allegedly fired at a pickup outside a residence in the 1100 block of Southeast 58th Avenue. The fleeing vehicle struck Justin Rupe and a woman.[1:6][2:7] |
| May 9, 2012 | Rupe died from his injuries. The woman who was struck survived.[1:7][2:8] |
| May 21, 2012 | Authorities arrested Hayhurst on a murder charge.[1:8] |
| October 3, 2012 | A Randall County grand jury indicted Hayhurst for murder.[2:9] |
| While awaiting trial | Prosecutors alleged that Hayhurst attempted to arrange the murders of two witnesses while detained in the Randall County Jail.[3:7] |
| April 2013 | Hayhurst pleaded guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.[3:8] |
| April 2013 | Hayhurst received two concurrent ten-year prison sentences.[3:9][4:3] |
Notes
- Arrests, criminal charges, and indictments are allegations rather than findings of guilt. Hayhurst was convicted after pleading guilty to manslaughter and conspiracy to commit capital murder of multiple persons.[3:10]
- Although Hayhurst was initially charged and indicted for murder in Rupe's death, the plea agreement resulted in a manslaughter conviction.[2:10][3:11]
- No occupant of the pickup was charged in connection with the incident.[1:9][2:11]
References
Russell Anglin, “Randall authorities arrest man on murder charge,” Amarillo Globe-News, May 21, 2012. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
“Randall County jury indicts man on murder charge,” Amarillo Globe-News, October 4, 2012. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
“Hayhurst pleads guilty to murder conspiracy, manslaughter charges,” Amarillo Globe-News, April 2, 2013. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
“Docket for April 7, 2013,” Amarillo Globe-News, April 6, 2013. ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎