A Milam County judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the murder case against Colton Coufal, just days after opening statements began in the 2021 killing of his mother, Cameron rancher Christi Michelle Coufal. The abrupt halt came after new evidence surfaced during the trial, forcing the defense to ask for more time to evaluate it before proceedings could continue.
Coufal, 30, is accused of killing his 55-year-old mother, whose body was found submerged in the San Gabriel River near County Road 428, north of Apache Pass, on December 5, 2021, according to KXAN Austin. She had been reported missing that same day, and Coufal was arrested three days later. The rural location where her body was recovered sits roughly 15 miles outside Cameron, a landmark area along the river well known to locals, as reported by Cameron Community Voice.
Trial Derailed Days After It Began
Jury selection in the case wrapped up on August 3, with opening statements and initial testimony getting underway the next day before District Judge John Youngblood in the 20th Judicial District Court, according to the same Cameron Community Voice account. That court, based at the Milam County Courthouse in Cameron, serves as the county's primary venue for felony criminal matters, per WTAW. Only days into testimony, the newly discovered evidence emerged, and the defense requested additional time to review it — a request that led directly to the mistrial.
In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Milam County Sheriff Mike Clore and District Attorney Brian Price said the case remains expected to proceed to a new trial, tentatively scheduled for January. The statement emphasized that the new evidence was not hidden, withheld or mishandled by Milam County, and officials noted that Judge Youngblood explicitly cleared prosecutors and law enforcement of any misconduct regarding the timing or handling of the material, according to WTAW. Under Texas criminal procedure, a mistrial granted at the defense's own request over newly discovered evidence does not trigger double-jeopardy protections, meaning prosecutors are free to retry the case, according to Varghese Summersett.
Years of Investigation Preceded the Indictment
The Texas Rangers assisted the Milam County Sheriff's Office in the homicide investigation before a grand jury returned a first-degree murder indictment in July 2023, roughly 18 months after Christi Coufal's death, the Cameron Community Voice reports. In addition to the murder charge, Coufal faces counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, per KXAN Austin. His bonds now total $1,252,500.
Coufal has remained in the Milam County Jail continuously since his arrest in December 2021, meaning he has now spent more than four and a half years in pretrial detention, the Community Voice notes. He was identified as a primary suspect shortly after his mother's body was found. The mistrial does not mean Coufal is being released while the case is reset — he remains in custody as the new trial date approaches.
What Happens Next
Sheriff Clore and DA Price said in their statement that they remain committed to pursuing justice in the case as it heads toward a fresh trial. If convicted of first-degree murder, Coufal faces a potential sentence ranging from 5 to 99 years or life in prison within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, per the Community Voice's reporting.
Exactly what the newly discovered evidence contains has not been made public, and it remains unclear whether any forensic backlog contributed to its late emergence during trial. Those questions, along with how the defense's strategy might shift before Coufal returns to court, are expected to shape the case as it heads toward its reset trial date in January.
