The following timeline is the series of events leading up to the upcoming trial of Kendrex White, who was indicted after a May 2017 stabbing attack left freshman Harrison Brown dead and three other students injured. Details have been compiled from the reporting of KXAN, KVUE, The Austin American-Statesman and The Daily Texan.
May 1, 2017, 1:45 p.m.
The UT Police Department receives reports of an individual assaulting others with a knife across the street from Speedway and San Jacinto Boulevard, in front of Gregory Gymnasium. UTPD officers are on the scene within two minutes. Biology junior Kendrex White is taken into custody.
May 1, 2017, 6:57 p.m.
Graham Independent School District confirms that UT freshman Harrison Brown was killed in the stabbing.
May 3, 2017
An affidavit is filed that states White told police he did not remember the attacks.
May 18, 2017
White makes his first appearance in court. State prosecutors file three motions to examine White’s mental health to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
May 24, 2017
At another hearing, a district judge orders White’s defense to respond to several motions filed by the prosecution by June 2, 2017. The motions relate to punishment and deal with White’s sanity.
June 9, 2017
White is told by two doctors that he is competent to stand trial, and his motion to be tested for insanity has been denied.
July 17, 2017
White is indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault.
Sept. 22, 2017
The judge for White’s case denies the prosecutor’s second request for a mental health evaluation of White.
March 15, 2018
White pleads not guilty by reason of insanity. State prosecutors appoint a psychiatrist to assess the mental state of White. Brown’s family also appears in court.
March — November 2018
White’s case is paused to give state prosecutors a chance to respond to a motion filed by his lawyers, who intend to present evidence for his insanity defense.
Nov. 7, 2018
Prosecutors and defense lawyers waive White’s right to a jury trial and opt for State District Judge Tamara Needles to be the sole fact finder in his case.
Dec. 11, 2018 — Dec. 12, 2018
During the second week of December, Needles will hear witness testimony that defense says shows White did not know right from wrong during the time of the attack, a requirement for an insanity defense. White’s attorneys will not only have to demonstrate that he was suffering from severe mental illness when Harrison Brown was killed in May 2017 but also that his mental state impaired his cognitive ability. If White is found not guilty by reason of insanity, he will be sent to a state mental hospital that is designated to handle the criminally insane for evaluation.
