Texas Deputy Killed in Dawn No-Knock Drug Raid

Phillip Smith theeagle.com A man accused in last week's shooting death of a Burleson County sheriff's deputy mistook the officer coming through his front door as an intruder, according to his lawyer. Henry Goedrich Magee, 28, was charged with capital murder after authorities said he shot Sgt. Adam Sowders as he led an eight-man team into Magee's trailer near Somerville just before 6 a.m. Thursday. Houston attorney Dick DeGuerin said Magee and his girlfriend, who is five months pregnant with Magee's baby, were asleep in the living room of the trailer home when they were awakened by "explosives" going off near the front windows and loud pounding on the front door. Moments later, Magee saw a person whom he said he couldn't identify in the dark burst through his door, DeGuerin said, adding that Magee -- who has a felony and misdemeanor drug conviction -- believed the man rushing in was an intruder and he needed to defend himself. Magee grabbed a rifle leaning against his bedroom door frame and fired, striking and killing 31-year-old Sowders, DeGuerin said. The high profile criminal defense attorney, who said he was contacted by Magee's family Friday night, met Saturday with Magee and his relatives at the Burleson County Jail. Magee remained there late Monday on $1 million bail on a capital murder charge, which is punishable by life in prison without parole or death by lethal injection. The search warrant for the home off County Road 278 was obtained by Sowders a week ago today, and was signed by District Judge Reva Towslee Corbett. According to the affidavit for the warrant, Sowders received information from an investigator that Magee was growing marijuana and possibly had stolen guns, as well as other drugs inside his home. Officials have not released information about what was discovered inside Magee's trailer, but DeGuerin said a few marijuana plants were the only illegal items in the home. While Magee did have four guns inside his home -- a .308-caliber semi-automatic rifle, the weapon Magee shot Sowders with; a .223-caliber rifle discovered locked up in a safe, along with a shotgun given to him by his grandfather; and a handgun that belonged to his mother found in the kitchen -- they were all legal, DeGuerin said. to read more click here: theeagle.com