A suspect in a Houston area murder-suicide had pled guilty to murder last December, but nearly four months later, he had not been sentenced and was released on bond.
Following a SWAT team standoff Thursday, Houston police found the bodies of Austin Collette, 26, and his girlfriend. Investigators say Collette likely shot the girl before turning the gun on himself.
Collette pled guilty to a 2019 murder on December 12, 2024, but District Court Judge Hilary Unger had not scheduled a sentencing hearing as of April 2025 and had authorized Collette’s release while awaiting hearing.
Collette was arrested for the 2019 murder of Thomas Simmons in what prosecutors described as a drug deal gone wrong in September 2020, but was released on a $50,000 bond. Unger increased his bond to $250,000 in April 2021 after reported violations related to his GPS monitor, but he made bond and was released the following day.
According to Andy Kahan of Crime Stoppers of Houston, Collette was also on a four-year probation for a January 2024 conviction in Jefferson County for fraudulent use of ...
