Texas Briefly
Man found guilty in slayings of his wife, baby in Texas
FORT WORTH (AP) — A man accused of killing his wife and 3-month-old son in Texas by slashing their throats in 2016 has been found guilty of capital murder, prosecutors said.
A Tarrant County jury found Craig Vandewege, 40, guilty Thursday. He received an automatic sentence of life without the possibility of parole, the Tarrant County district attorney's office said.
Prosecutors said that in December 2016, Vandewege called 911 and said he'd found his wife, Shanna Riddle Vandewege, 36, and their son, Diederik, dead at their Fort Worth home.
Prosecutors said it appeared the home was staged to look like there'd been a robbery.
Days later, Craig Vandewege was arrested in Colorado during a traffic stop.
Police reports said a convenience store clerk called 911 after Vandewege was overheard talking about a murder. The police reports said that when officers pulled Vandewege over for speeding, he unemotionally told them his wife and son had been murdered. He also said his family had moved from the Denver area earlier that year and that he'd returned to Colorado to bury them.
Glenwood Springs police arrested him for not having insurance and speeding. The department later received a warrant from Fort Worth to arrest him on suspicion of murder.
Grand jury clears 8 Austin police officers in gunman's death
AUSTIN (AP) — A grand jury on Friday cleared eight Austin police officers in the 2018 fatal shooting of a gunman they were pursuing.
The Travis County grand jury declined indictments against the officers who opened fire on Aquantis Griffin, 21, behind an East Sixth Street nightclub.
In the early hours of Aug. 18, 2018, officers were sent to a chaotic scene outside a nightclub where several fights had broken out and gunfire was reported, according to a statement from the Travis County District Attorney's Office.
The gunfire drew several officers to an alley behind the club, where they saw Griffin running toward them, handgun in hand.
After Griffin disregarded commands to drop the gun, the eight officers opened fire, fatally wounding the man.
Barn explosion kills 2 owners, neighbor in northeast Texas
SIMMS (AP) — Investi gators are seeking the cause of an explosion and fire that tore through a northeast Texas barn, killing three people.
The blast happened Tuesday night in Simms, Texas, about 27 miles (44 kilometers) west of Texarkana. Killed in the explosion were the barn's owners, Steven Granbery, 60, and Cynthia Granbery, 55, and neighbor William Barnes, 65.
Bowie County Fire Marshal Scottie Taylor says evidence points toward the blast being an accident.
The Granberys had kept gasoline, propane and an all-terrain vehicle in the barn, the walls of which were blown out by the blast. The heat also melted a wall of the Granberys' home.
