5 key details about Justin Hurst’s murder

Season 2 episode 7 of Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler on Oxygen, will replay the 2007 murder of Justin Hurst.

Justin Hurst was killed by James Garrett Freeman during a shootout. James was convicted and sentenced to death in 2008 for the murder. He was executed on January 27, 2016.

Hurst suffered serious injuries during the shootout. Although an officer kept him alive till he reached the hospital, Hurst died the following day due to complications from a fatal injury on his left arm and torso.

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5 important details surrounding Justin Hurst’s murder

1) Justin Hurst got involved in a high-speed car chase

On March 17, 2007, James Garrett Freeman fled in his pickup truck after a Texas game warden, Johnathan Blackburn, approached him. Blackburn heard a gunshot and suspected James of illegal hunting by the roadside.

Blackburn called another game warden, Justin Hurst, for backup as soon as James fled in his pickup truck. Other officers from other agencies initially started a car chase in pursuit of James. The officers followed James at a speed of 130 mph.

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2) Justin Hurst set a spike trap to catch James Garrett Freeman

Justin Hurst communicated with the other officers that he was setting a spike trap across the road at an intersection to catch the then-alleged criminal James Freeman. James moved his pickup truck around the trap, and Justin’s attempt to catch him failed.

However, Justin then joined the chase, which went on for another 30 minutes. During this 30-minute car chase, law officers were able to run the license plate number, which identified the owner of the truck as James Garrett Freeman. Blackburn was able to recognize James as he had previously given him a ticket.

However, James finally drove over the spikes set by the DPS troopers. Unable to control his punctured truck, he drove into a driveway in front of Lissie Cemetery. James pushed open the side doors, stood behind his truck and began shooting at the officers until he seemed to be out of ammo.

James then disappeared at the back of his truck for a few seconds and came back out with an alleged AK-47 assault rifle. The officer immediately ran for cover behind their cars.

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3) Justin Hurst was fatally shot

According to the Attorney General of Texas, Justin Hurst left his cover and moved in the open to get a better aim at James. He fired at James from a crouched position, but James, who was already aiming at Justin, fired two shots at him, leaving him gravely injured.

Justin was later discovered by Blackburn, facedown on the ground. Blackburn initially thought Justin was taking a safer position by being flat on the ground.

James was finally caught and taken into custody after being shot four times. Justin suffered fatal wounds on his left arm and torso from the shots fired at him. Even after being taken to the hospital, he did not survive. He died the following day on his 34th birthday.

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4) The police car dashcam video of Hurst's murder was shown to the jury during the trial

A dashcam video was shown to the jury, in which James got out of his truck with a pistol in his hands and began shooting at officials. The footage then showed officers seeking safety behind their vehicles.

At one point James disappeared behind his truck, while officers fired at him. The dashcam video showed James emerging a few seconds later with an assault rifle, supposedly an AK-47, and began shooting from behind his truck. The dashcam also showed officers trying to keep Justin Hurst alive after being fatally shot.

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5) An execution date was set for Justin’s killer

After a long and tedious trial, on November 7, 2008, the 329th Judicial District Court of Wharton County, Texas concluded that James Garrett Freeman would be convicted of capital murder and sentenced to the death penalty, as per the Attorney General of Texas.

On August 12, 2015, a death warrant was ordered by the 329th Judicial District Court of Wharton County. On January 27, 2016, James was executed at 6:30 pm, by a lethal injection.

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Season 2 episode 7 of Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler will air on Oxygen on March 8, 2025.