Accused Austin Stabbing Suspect Dies: Police

AUSTIN, TX — The suspect accused of stabbing two Austin restaurant workers last week — including one fatally — has died, police said on Monday.

Dylan Woodburn, 27, stood accused of stabbing two workers at the Freebirds World Burrito eatery last week before he climbed onto a roof at a South Congress shopping center on Friday, injuring himself in the process after diving off the building head first. On Monday, Police Chief Brian Manley revealed the suspect had succumbed to his injuries late Friday.

After an initial investigation, police determined Woodburn had assaulted a customer at the Bennu coffee shop at 515 S. Congress Ave. before fleeing to the nearby Freebirds where he was accused of stabbing two workers.

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During his press conference, police identified the worker who died as the manager of the eatery, Johnathon Aguilar, 34, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim, a man in his 50s, sustained serious injuries.

A police detective at the press conference said Woodburn was not from Austin, and it's unclear when he may have arrived to the city. Police previously confirmed the suspect was experiencing homelessness at the time of the stabbing spree — a status that has touched off further debate about the homeless plight.

Mere hours after the stabbing spree — well before Woodburn was identified as being homeless — Gov. Greg Abbott on Twitter predicted the status would be made clear in extending his feud with Austin officials on how they handle the homeless crisis. "When all facts are revealed I bet you'll learn that the killer was a homeless man with prior arrests," Abbott wrote on his personal Twitter account in the immediate aftermath of the attack. "If so Austin's reckless homeless policy puts lives in danger to murders like this. Austin leaders must answer for their perilous policies."

City council members over the summer relaxed their rules related to homeless people's activities, allowing them to rest on sidewalks provided they posed no obstruction to pedestrians and letting them camp out in allowable areas. Abbott aggressively opposed the loosened rules, and subsequently assigned blame to city officials for crimes committed by homeless people based on their relaxed ordinances.

Manley avoided the political fallout of the debate, re-focusing his talk with reporters on the crime that occurred last weekend: "I know there's a lot being discussed out there about homelessness," he acknowledged. "That's not what we're here to talk about today. We're here to talk about a horrific incident that occurred in our community, and to provide as much information to our communty that we can at this time."

As detectives continue their investigation, police ask anyone with information about Woodburn to contact them at (512) 477-3588.