Murder suspect arrested in North Austin following multiday manhunt

A man has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting that led to a three-day search across Austin, according to the Austin Police Department.

Police said Jose Duron, 22, was apprehended on Wednesday in North Austin and charged with capital murder in the death of Steven Conn, 41, who was found dead in a field earlier this week.

The investigation began on the night of Sunday, July 13, when a 911 caller reported hearing gunfire from inside a white Ford Bronco near the 7300 block of Duval Street, police said. The caller told dispatch they saw a woman jump from the vehicle screaming for help, and that a man was waving a gun inside the car.

Officers arrived around 11:35 p.m. and interviewed the woman who identified herself as Conn’s girlfriend, police said. She told officers that she and Conn had picked up an acquaintance — later identified as Duron — who was riding in the back seat of the Bronco. Duron then allegedly attempted to rob both of the couple and allegedly shot Conn, according to the woman. She said she fled the vehicle in fear for her life, and that Duron drove away with Conn still inside, police said.

A citywide manhunt ensued, with multiple Police Department units searching for both Duron and Conn, police said. Warrants were issued for Duron for aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping.

The following day, July 14, officers located the abandoned, bloodstained Bronco in southeast Austin, police said. Investigators then used digital evidence left inside the vehicle to help identify a general location for Conn.

Authorities said they searched more than 200 acres over the next two days. On the evening of July 15, police located Conn’s body in a field near the 6400 block of Loyola Lane. He was pronounced dead at 7:24 p.m.

Following the discovery, police said Duron’s charges were upgraded to capital murder. He was located and taken into custody the next day, on July 16, in North Austin.

The case is being investigated as the city’s 33rd homicide of 2025, according to the Police Department.