Austin v. State

Carley, Justice.

Steven Austin fatally shot his father, and then fled the scene in his car. The authorities subsequently captured him after a high-speed chase. At trial, Austin raised a justification defense. Claiming that he suffered a lifetime of abuse from the victim, he presented lay and expert witnesses who testified in support of his battered-person claim. However, the jury found appellant guilty of malice murder and of attempting to elude law enforcement officers. The trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment for murder and to a consecutive 12-month term for attempt to evade the…