The Austin Police Department (APD) has charged a second suspect in connection with the 2021 homicide of James Burrows. On December 17, 2025, APD issued a 1st degree murder warrant for Lamar James, a 29-year-old Black male. According to the official Austin government news release, James is currently serving time in the Texas Department of Corrections for unrelated charges.
The case dates back to August 1, 2021, when Burrows, a White male born on July 8, 1958, was found lying in a parking lot at 1400 E. 38 ½ St. after suffering fatal gunshot wounds. Local authorities were notified by an Austin 9-1-1 call of a person lying in the area during the early hours at 2:15 a.m. APD's homicide investigators and crime scene technicians were dispatched to process the scene and interview witnesses.
The Travis County Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy the following day and confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death, ruling it a homicide. In the wake of the incident, detectives had requested the public's assistance. They encouraged anyone with information or video of the incident to come forward, providing various channels such as the APD Homicide tips line and the Crime Stoppers app to facilitate anonymous tips. The release underscored that information leading to an arrest could yield a reward of up to $1,000.
Burrows' murder was marked as Austin's 49th homicide of 2021, a year that saw an unsettling tally of violent deaths within the city's bounds. The prolonged investigations leading to the issuance of charges against James highlight the meticulous and oftentimes slow grind of justice. Lamar James' previous booking photo was included with the release, contributing a face to a name that is now connected to a nearly four-year-old crime that has haunted the Austin community.
