Police name suspect in shooting murder of former Bush doctor . . .

[Right_in_Virginia]

Police name suspect in shooting murder of former Bush doctor as 62-year-old son of a woman who died on his operating table 20 years ago and who planned the revenge murder 'for a very long time'
Daily Mail/UK, Aug 1, 2018

Police have identified a suspect in the shooting death of a cardiologist who once treated George HW Bush as the vengeful son of a woman who died on the doctor's operating table 21 years ago.

Joseph James Pappas, 62, is accused of following Dr. Mark Hausknecht on his bicycle on July 20 and fatally shooting him three times as he cycled to work in Houston, Texas.

Police believe Pappas was acting in revenge for the death of his mother Julia who died on Hausknecht's operating in April 1997 at the age of 69.

He had been plotting the attack for a 'long time', according to authorities whose attention was directed to him by an anonymous tip earlier this week. 

Pappas remains at large and is believed to be suicidal, dangerous and armed with multiple weapons.

On Tuesday night, before police obtained an arrest warrant for him and before his name became public, he sent a text message to a friend suggesting that he may kill himself.

The friend called police out of concern and when officers arrived at Pappas' home to conduct a welfare check, he was nowhere to be found.


Read more:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6016687/Police-suspect-shooting-murder-former-Bush-doctor.html

[Elderberry]

Houston doctor’s accused killer shed possessions before Medical Center slaying

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-doctor-s-accused-killer-shed-13128223.php

The day before he biked into the middle of the Texas Medical Center and allegedly shot and killed a prominent Houston cardiologist, Joseph James Pappas II signed his Westbury home over to an Ohio woman, records show.

Months before that, the 62-year-old real estate broker and former lawman appeared to be divesting himself of his other possessions, including furniture, firearms and tactical equipment.

It is unclear if the man accused of killing renowned Houston cardiologist Dr. Mark Hausknecht simply was broke or erasing his life, sources close to the investigation said Wednesday.

While it is not clear what prompted Pappas to act last month, he appears to have started offloading furniture online as far back last October, listing an antique desk for sale on the neighborhood-focused social media site Nextdoor.com. On a now-deleted account, he typically posted about lost dogs and dead cats. In January, he started listing dozens of items on Armslist.com and another firearms forum, ranging from a case feed assembly, two shell plates to a round counter to a metal work bench. On Greensheet, he listed a treadmill.

Five days after the killing, a seller using the same phone number Pappas listed posted ads for two tactical vests, a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver, a $4,500 semi-automatic FN rifle, two sets of ballistic door panels for a Crown Victoria and a box of ammunition. All told, the items were valued at thousands of dollars. It is not clear whether any of them sold — or whether either firearm may have been the murder weapon.

When police entered the home on Stillbrooke early Wednesday, they found ammunition, a gun and multiple holsters. The front room had been almost entirely cleared out.

“It looks like the guy was trying to get rid of his worldly possessions,” said a source familiar with the investigation.

[mountaineer]

Joseph Pappas, man suspected of murdering George HW Bush's doctor, commits suicide after being confronted by police

The man charged with murdering George H.W. Bush’s former cardiologist committed suicide Friday after being confronted by two members of the Houston Police department, officials said.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo declared "This is our suspect" at a press conference less than an hour after Joseph Pappas, 62, shot himself near his home in Houston.

Acevedo explained that a witness called authorities at 9:21 A.M. to say he had seen a suspect he believed was Pappas, as well as a wallet with his ID that he left on the ground. Acevedo said he wasn't sure if Pappas left the wallet on purpose or by accident.

When police arrived, they found Pappas wearing body armor. He did not comply with officers' commands and, when more officers closed in, Pappas shot himself in the head, around 3.5 miles from his home. ... More at FOX