FORT WORTH —A Mansfield man pleaded guilty to murder on Friday in connection with a drug deal that turned sour.
Shane Zachary Austin, 21, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for fatally wounding Myles Rascon, 17.
Austin and another person met Rascon and two others at the Whataburger at 1221 Farm Road 157 to buy marijuana from them at about 10:30 p.m. on April 12.
Austin got in the back seat of the car with Rascon, snatched the baggie of marijuana and fled. As Austin ran toward his car, Rascon gave chase, and Austin turned around and fired three shots at him.
Rascon's friends drove him to Methodist Mansfield Medical Center, and he was taken by helicopter to a Dallas hospital, where he was pronounced dead the next day.
Detectives traced the phone number used to set up the drug sale to Austin. At Austin's home in Mansfield, police saw a black Pontiac Firebird that matched the description of the suspect's vehicle.
Detectives found Austin standing on the back patio with a marijuana pipe in his hand and the odor of burning marijuana in the air. Austin was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession and taken for questioning in the shooting.
On an outdoor couch nearby, police found a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol; the three shell casings recovered at Whataburger were also .40-caliber. -- Mitch Mitchell
This report contains material from the Star-Telegram archives
Can we stop wasting time with this trash, just take him down to Huntsville and hook Old Sparky up and get rid of the waste of time and food
Posted by: Texas Jack | February 11, 2013 at 12:05 PM
Dirtball human scum commits murder during robbery. Why do people have a problem with that reality when the victim was being robbed for cannabis? Do those people really think that Mr. Austin wouldn't shoot them just as dead for the cash in their wallet?
Posted by: Duncan Wallace | February 11, 2013 at 01:17 PM
Legalize it and this will go away!
Posted by: Dreamr | February 11, 2013 at 02:03 PM
In other news, a 21-year-old man who wanted to drink a beer on his back patio went to a local convenience store, showed ID to a clerk and purchased some beer, which he brought back home and drank.
Posted by: RadicalRuss | February 11, 2013 at 03:39 PM
Hopefully Austin will get what is coming to him in prison, Karma willing.
Posted by: Judi Valverde | February 11, 2013 at 06:21 PM
RadicalRuss s/b RadicalWuss
Posted by: Judi Valverde | February 11, 2013 at 06:25 PM
The kid was stealing from him. Death is a little harsh. However in Texas the best soultion for anything is either a gun or a prayer.
Kinda like taking the shell shocked soldger to the gun range for some therapy. I don't think that worked out too well. Although he did get a pretty cool funeral out of the ordeal. No one seems to recognize just how stupid he really was. The poor guy who did the shooting is the real victim here. Yea, he was nuts. But taking a nutcase to a gunrange is really nuts. Even for a hero!
Posted by: Gary Nelson | February 12, 2013 at 05:36 PM
You know, what shane did was wrong, but I have known this boy since we were five. Death is very harsh in ANY situation, even for the man who raped me. Forgive, but do not forget. I don't know what was going through Shane's head, but I feel for both families considering I knew shane's family and my boss's daughter was best friend with the kid he shot. :/ All I can think about is their mothers. No parent should have to bury their child or be ashamed and persecuted for who their son is and hear such hurtful things about him or how he should die. :((
If anything is to be said, it should be consoling words for their mothers. How very unfortunate.
Posted by: Jane doe | February 13, 2013 at 03:21 AM