Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and His Wife Were Slain in Their Home Over Easter Weekend

Texas prosecutors and police are on high alert after Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were assassinated in their home over Easter weekend.

McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were discovered dead in their Forney, Texas home shortly before 6 p.m. Saturday. Investigators say they suffered fatal gunshot wounds and that the killings did not appear to be random. Forney is 20 miles east of Dallas.

Police are not discussing possible suspects, but it is believed that law enforcement officials are focused on a white supremacist group suspected in the January 31 murder of Kaufman County Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse outside of the Kaufman County Courthouse. That same day, the United States Justice Department released a statement that said the Kaufman County DA’s Office was involved in a racketeering case against the Aryan Brotherhood.

McLelland was a 23-year U.S. Army veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm.  He was elected to the position of District Attorney in 2010, and his office has prosecuted several cases against racist gangs in Kaufman County. According to family and associates, McLelland carried a firearm with him everywhere and advised those he knew to do the same. He warned his employees to be on high alert and expected to be attacked outside his home. Deputies had been parked outside of McLelland’s home for a time after Hassse’s death in January, but it does not appear that was the case over the weekend.

The FBI and Texas Rangers are now leading the investigation, and possible ties to the March 19 shooting murder of Colorado prisons director Tom Clements were explored. No connection was found, they say.