Jury Convicts Tyrone Thompson of Double Murder in 2024 SXSW Downtown Austin Hit-and-Run Case

Verdict and sentencing close a two-year criminal case tied to a fatal festival-week crash

A Travis County jury has convicted Tyrone Thompson of two counts of murder and two counts of collision involving death in connection with a hit-and-run that killed two pedestrians during South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2024. The case centered on a crash at the intersection of East Seventh Street and Red River Street in downtown Austin—an area that becomes one of the city’s most heavily traveled pedestrian corridors during the annual festival.

The convictions were returned on February 26, 2026. On March 4, 2026, a judge imposed a combined prison sentence structured across four felony counts: 40 years in prison for each murder conviction and 10 years for each collision-involving-death conviction.

Crash timeline: March 12, 2024, at East Seventh and Red River

The criminal case stemmed from events on March 12, 2024, when Austin police responded to a collision involving a vehicle and two pedestrians at East Seventh and Red River. One victim, 26-year-old Cody Shelton, was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim, 34-year-old William Dunham, suffered critical injuries and later died in April 2024.

Following Dunham’s death, prosecutors pursued a second murder charge, converting what began as a single-victim homicide case into a two-death prosecution. Thompson was ultimately indicted in 2024 on offenses that included murder and collision involving death tied to both fatalities.

What the convictions mean under Texas criminal law

The jury’s guilty verdicts reflect findings of criminal responsibility for two separate deaths arising from the same incident. In Texas, murder charges in vehicle-related deaths can involve disputed questions of intent, awareness, and the circumstances surrounding a driver’s conduct. Collision involving death charges address leaving the scene of a crash that results in a fatality and failing to stop and render aid.

The case moved through a progression familiar in major crash prosecutions: an initial filing after an on-scene death, followed by expanded charges when a second victim later dies from injuries.

Public-safety context: a festival corridor shaped by crowd density and vehicle access

The location of the crash—near a cluster of venues and pedestrian traffic routes—has long been central to Austin’s festival operations and public-safety planning. SXSW brings large crowds into the Red River Cultural District and surrounding downtown streets, increasing the stakes for traffic control, barricading, and enforcement against impaired or dangerous driving.

While the criminal case has concluded with convictions and prison sentences, the underlying facts continue to intersect with broader questions faced each March: how to manage vehicle access near high-density pedestrian areas, how quickly hazards are detected and blocked, and how enforcement strategies are deployed during peak festival hours.

• Convictions: two counts of murder; two counts of collision involving death

• Verdict date: February 26, 2026

• Sentencing date: March 4, 2026

• Sentences imposed: 40 years per murder count; 10 years per collision-involving-death count

• Victims: Cody Shelton, 26; William Dunham, 34

• Crash location: East Seventh Street and Red River Street, downtown Austin

The convictions and sentencing mark a final milestone in the criminal proceedings arising from the 2024 SXSW-week hit-and-run, a case that drew attention both for its setting during a major international event and for the loss of two lives in a pedestrian-heavy corridor.