A 62-year-old Texas engineer was killed in what authorities described as an apparently random stabbing at a Round Rock park on Labor Day, leading investigators to arrest a 26-year-old man on a first-degree murder charge.
Williamson County sheriff’s deputies responded Sept. 7 to a report of an injured person at a park in the 2400 block of Chandler Creek Boulevard. Emergency medical personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Authorities identified the victim as Andrew James Wimsatt, 62, of Austin.
Wimsatt was a civil engineer who earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked as a research engineer at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute after previously serving with the Texas Department of Transportation.
Investigators said surveillance footage from the Chandler Creek Homeowners Association became a key piece of evidence in reconstructing what happened.
According to an arrest affidavit, Wimsatt was sitting on a park bench at approximately 10:55 a.m. when a man later identified by authorities as Benedict Chinedu Ogbodiegwu Jr., 26, approached him from behind several minutes later.
The affidavit alleges the attacker grabbed Wimsatt and repeatedly stabbed him. Wimsatt attempted to fight off the assault but was unable to escape, investigators said.
After Wimsatt fell to the ground, the attack allegedly continued before the suspect fled toward the park’s pool area and then in the direction of North A.W. Grimes Boulevard.
A witness discovered Wimsatt near the bench around 11:15 a.m. and called 911.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said preliminary evidence indicated that Wimsatt and the suspect did not know each other.
Authorities characterized the killing as an apparently random act, and investigators had not identified a motive in the arrest affidavit.
Detectives then worked through surveillance footage from multiple locations around Round Rock in an effort to identify and track the suspect.
Video from nearby homes and businesses allegedly captured a man matching the attacker’s description traveling toward the park before the killing and returning after the attack.
Investigators said the same individual was later captured on video at a McDonald’s on East Palm Valley Boulevard wearing different clothing before leaving as a passenger in a red SUV.
The vehicle was registered to an address roughly one mile from the park, helping investigators narrow their search.
Detectives eventually located Ogbodiegwu at a residence on Matagorda Drive.
According to the affidavit, Ogbodiegwu acknowledged that a still image from surveillance footage showed him but denied visiting the park that morning. He also allegedly mentioned having a twin brother but could not provide investigators with the brother’s name, per Trending Politics.
Authorities subsequently executed a search warrant at the property.
Investigators said they recovered a white trash bag from an outdoor garbage can containing clothing matching what was seen in the park surveillance footage along with a 5.5-inch, wooden-handled knife.
The sweatpants allegedly contained red stains, while investigators said the knife blade tested presumptive positive for blood.
Ogbodiegwu was arrested late Monday and charged with first-degree murder.
His bond was set at $1 million.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue examining the evidence surrounding Wimsatt’s death.
The allegations against Ogbodiegwu have not yet been proven in court, and the criminal case will determine his legal responsibility for the killing.
Wimsatt’s death has drawn attention not only because of the circumstances of the attack but also because authorities said the two men apparently had no prior relationship, leaving investigators without an identified motive.
