Former WilCo DA Jana Duty Found Dead In South Texas

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Former Williamson County District Attorney Jana Duty has been found dead in South Texas, according to a published report.

The Austin American-Statesman reported on Thursday the former county official's death, citing confirmation on Duty's death by Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell. Duty's body reportedly was found on Wednesday, according to the report, and foul play is not suspected.

According to the Statesman, police responded to a Wednesday morning call about a dead person inside a condominium complex at the Rockport Country Club. The body later was identified as Duty's.

Duty served two terms as county attorney before defeating longtime incumbent John Bradley and becoming DA in 2013. Current DA Shawn Dick then defeated her in the 2016 Republican primary.

Duty often made headlines but for controversial actions, such as the short stint in jail she served in 2016 after being found in contempt of court for violating a gag order in the Crispin Harmel murder investigation. She was later sanctioned by the State Bar of Texasfor professional misconduct related to that incident — leading to an 18-month disbarment — and was found to have intentionally withheld evidence from defense attorneys. That action by the State Bar of Texas led to a lawsuit seeking to have her removed from office.

Given those antics, business leaders gathered to demand her resignation. A group led by Jim Shwertner staged a press conference outside the county courthouse to demand her resignation.

Even after her departure, more disarray under Duty's tenure was highlighted by her successor, who announced the Williamson County DA's office stood to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash seized from asset forfeitures as a result of a an administrative error in serving citations in 60-plus cases.

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