James Earl Short, a 74-year-old retired defense attorney, was found stabbed to death in his Austin, Texas home on April 7, 2017. The scene showed signs of a struggle; a bloody knife was recovered from the bed and a black backpack that did not belong to the victim was found at the scene.

A receipt in Short’s pocket led investigators to a nearby Walmart where surveillance showed him with a younger man later identified as 24-year-old Justin Nickolas Twyne. Documents in the backpack bore Twyne’s name, Short’s discarded cell phone contained texts arranging a meeting between them, and credit cards and other Short items were found in the New Orleans hotel room where Twyne was located on April 10, 2017. Fingerprint analysis matched Twyne’s prints to the murder weapon.

Prosecutors charged Twyne with first-degree murder; at trial the defense did not contest the evidence and the jury found him guilty. Does anyone have additional information about Short’s life or the days leading up to April 7, 2017?