AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Travis County Sherriff’s Office (TCSO) released the identity of the victim in a May 20 homicide, as well as additional information about the early morning shooting.
In an arrest affidavit, TCSO identified the victim as Stephen Mark Peterman, 49.
A TCSO deputy found Peterman around 4 a.m. in the middle of Amarillo Avenue with several gunshot wounds, according to the affidavit. Life-saving measures were attempted but unsuccessful.
The TCSO detective who submitted the affidavit saw a work vehicle with a smashed-out window. The vehicle was identified by the victim’s wife as Peterman’s work vehicle, describing it as “an indication that someone may have burglarized the truck.”
According to TCSO, Peterman’s wife said her husband often took their elderly dog out to the restroom in the early morning.
The affidavit noted a neighbor’s surveillance camera captured the sound of six gunshots followed by a red hatchback driving away at high speed. Six .45-caliber casings were found at the scene near Peterson’s body, according to the affidavit.
TCSO arrested William Jewel Daniels, 36, in connection to the shooting on the afternoon of Monday, May 20. Daniels was charged with one felony count of murder.
According to a TCSO affidavit, Daniels was identified through a palm print match in law enforcement databases. Detectives performed a license plate reader database search, which had logged a picture of Daniels’ red 2012 Hyundai Veloster roughly two miles away from Amarillo Avenue at 4:08 a.m.
TCSO asked the vehicle’s lien holder to provide GPS tracking for the vehicle. According to the detective, Daniels had called the lien holder six times between 7:30 a.m. and noon to report the vehicle as stolen and for a ping on the tracker.
The deputies went to the vehicle, which was parked at the Spicewood Springs Branch of the Austin Public Library, two miles from Peterson’s home. They waited and observed Daniels enter the vehicle. Deputies arrested Daniels at that time, 12 hours after Peterson died.
“This is a perfect example of why I’m so proud of the men and women of TCSO,” said Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez in a 6 p.m. press release on May 20. “Once again, their teamwork and solid investigative skills came together to keep our community safe.”
As of Wednesday, Daniels does not have an attorney listed in the Travis County Court records.
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