A Hays County Grand Jury Thursday indicted a man accused of shooting and killing San Marcos Police officer Kenneth Copeland in December 2017 for capital murder, according to a press release.
Stewart Thomas Mettz, 58, of San Marcos, was indicted on capital murder, which is punishable by death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. The indictment has been delivered to the Hays County District Clerks Office, according to the release.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt; it is a formal accusation that suggests enough evidence exists to warrant a trial. Mettz was originally booked into the Hays County Jail Dec. 6, 2017 and is being held on $1 million bond.
According to the indictment, Mettz is accused of "intentionally or knowingly cause the death" of Copeland, who was shot and killed while serving a warrant on Dec. 4, 2017.
Mettz was also indicted for Injury to an Elderly Person and Retaliation, which was allegedly committed around Nov. 25, 2017.
According to the release, the Injury to an Elderly person indictment "corresponds to allegations in the warrants" Copeland was serving when he was killed.
"The indictment is just the first step in the process," said Hays County District Attorney Wes Mau in a statement. "While we at the DA’s office have every intention of seeing that justice is done for Ken Copeland, his family and friends, and the law enforcement community here in San Marcos and Hays County, there remains a long way to go. To say any more than that at this time would be inappropriate.”
No further details were made available regarding the case. This story is developing; we will provide additional details as they become available.
