Austin woman shot cousin, attempted to make it look like suicide, police say
Irean Demuchest (Source: Austin Police)
AUSTIN - An Austin woman has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting her cousin and attempting to make it look like suicide.
Irean Demuchest, 34, is in the Travis County Jail and was charged with first-degree murder.
South 1st Street shooting
The backstory:
The shooting happened on the morning of June 21, 2024 in an apartment on South 1st Street.
Neighbors called Austin Police saying they heard a physical fight nearby. Soon after, Irean Demuchest called the police and told dispatchers that her cousin, Samantha Demuchest, had killed herself.
When officers arrived at the scene, they knocked on the door and initially did not get a response.
Police say Irean eventually answered the door while holding Samantha's baby.
When officers made their way inside, they found Samantha on the ground with a gunshot wound. She was able to tell officers that Irean had shot her before she was taken to the hospital.
Investigators say they that the evidence shows that Irean shot her cousin and then tried to make it look like she had shot herself.
Irean was arrested and initially charged with aggravated assault for the shooting.
Samantha Demuchest's death
What we know:
After the shooting, Samantha Demuchest lived as a paraplegic.
On November 12, 2024, Demuchest died.
An autopsy showed that her death was caused by the injuries from the gunshot wound.
Irean Demuchest was charged with first-degree murder.
It is under investigation as Austin's 59th homicide of 2024.
What we don't know:
Police have not given details about what led to the shooting.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Austin Police.