AUSTIN, Texas – A man accused in a deadly 2023 shooting spree from San Antonio to Austin appeared for the first time at Travis County Criminal Court on Friday morning to ask a judge if he could represent himself.

Shane James Jr. told the judge he wanted to represent himself due to a disagreement with his attorneys.

James is accused of killing his parents in Kirby before heading to Austin on Dec. 5, 2023, where he allegedly killed four people and injured two police officers and a cyclist.

His attorney Russell Hunt Jr. said they have requested for James to receive a mental competency check, but he refused. Hunt called James’ request “a terrible idea.”

“It’s always a terrible idea for a person to represent themselves. They don’t have access to the discovery,” Hunt said. “They don’t know anything about the experts that might be needed. They have no experience with the jury system. They don’t have any idea how they will be perceived by prospective jurors. They may make arguments that are counterfactual and can be easily disproven. And there are all sorts of traps.”

Judge Clifford Brown told James: “I routinely tell people it’s not a good idea to represent yourself.”

Brown said if James wanted to represent himself, he would still need a competency evaluation.

“What I’m going to suggest to you is that you work through with your attorneys, and you speak with the expert psychologist that they have retained, and we can address that in the future,” Brown said.

James faces four counts of capital murder and two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Hunt said even though James has refused the competency evaluation, the Austin Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office are still gathering evidence.

“If he were to be found incompetent, he would have to be put in the line to go to the state hospital,” Hunt said. “That would certainly delay things by years.”

James’ next hearing will be on Oct. 10.

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