WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Police in Liberty Hill arrested three people in connection to a shooting back in March and a plot to kill a Williamson County judge. 

What You Need To Know

  • The shooting occurred on March 8 at approximately 2:30 a.m. in a Liberty Hill home

  • Two people were shot while they were sleeping. One had 11 gunshot wounds, while the other had two. Both have recovered despite their serious injuries

  • When officers asked one of the victims who could have committed the crime, she told them only that her ex-husband could have done something like it. The victim and her ex-husband, 38-year-old Clinton Harmon, were in a contentious custody battle over their 7-year-old child

  • Harmon's ex-girlfriend in Louisiana later told detectives about a meeting between Harmon, his mother and his adoptive father back in July 2023 in Bastrop, where they discussed killing his ex-wife and the judge presiding over the custody case

On March 8, at around 2:30 a.m., 911 operators in Williamson County received a call from a teenager saying that his mother and her boyfriend had been shot by an unknown person in their home in Liberty Hill while they were sleeping. 

“No items were stolen, and it was immediately apparent that this was not a random act of violence,” a news release from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said. 

The teen’s mother suffered 11 gunshot wounds to her chest, abdomen, arms, legs, shoulder and neck, while her boyfriend was shot twice in the neck and arms. Both of them have recovered. 

Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Liberty Hill Police Department, Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI, were involved in the investigation.

When officers asked the woman who could have committed the violent crime, she told them only that her ex-husband would have done something like it, Williamson County Sheriff Mike Gleason said in a news conference Wednesday afternoon. 

The victim and her ex-husband, 38-year-old Clinton Harmon, were in a contentious custody battle over their 7-year-old child. That child was not in the home at the time of the shooting. 

Gleason said that text messages between the two showed Harmon was frustrated about financial matters and her relationship with her boyfriend, the other shooting victim. 

In July, Harmon’s ex-girlfriend, who lives in Louisiana, called police and told them she was concerned that Harmon and his family were involved in the March shooting. 

The ex-girlfriend told detectives about a meeting between Harmon, his mother and his adoptive father back in July 2023 in Bastrop, where they discussed killing his ex-wife and the judge presiding over the custody case. 

According to Gleason, Matthew Harmon, the adoptive father, said during the meeting “I’m just telling you, I’ll do 10-20 (years) to get that grandbaby.”

Gleason said that the three discussed using fentanyl to drug the woman and hiring “thugs from Austin” to do the shooting. 

After learning of this meeting, police put in place safety measures for the judge presiding over the custody case and his family.

Police eventually linked Harmon to the shooting through his car, a GMC Acadia, which had a GPS tracker attached to it. The tracker was put on the car by the lien holder, and Harmon did not know it was there. 

The location information confirmed that the car was within 0.4 miles of the home the night of the shooting. Gleason said that Harmon planned his route from his home in Bastrop to Liberty Hill and back that night so that he was not on any traffic and toll road cameras. 

On Aug. 1, police were sent two phone recordings by Harmon’s ex-girlfriend, where Harmon told her she needed a lawyer because she incriminated herself to police and tried to intimidate her from cooperating with law enforcement. 

On Sept. 8, Harmon was arrested in New Orleans as he was trying to get on a plane. He has been charged with attempted capital murder and will be extradited back to Williamson County. His bond is set at $2 million. 

Charges were later filed in Bastrop County against Matthew Harmon and Teresa Harmon for felony retaliation against the Williamson County judge. The two were arrested on Sept. 16. Their bond has been set at $1 million each. 

The couple’s 38-year-old daughter was also arrested on an unrelated parole violation for having a firearm. 

Gleason said that police are still investigating and more arrests have not been ruled out. 

Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick thanked local law enforcement for keeping the community safe and working with his office closely on this case.  

Dick said that, because Harmon is still in Louisiana, a court date has not been set.

Gleason thanked the around-the-clock effort from local and federal law enforcement to protect the victims in this case.

Gleason also mentioned how earlier this month he participated in a panel alongside U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and others where they discussed the importance of protecting judges from threats against their offices and families, much like the situation in this case. 

Cornyn introduced bipartisan legislation back in March called the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, which would create a center that would provide resources and threat monitoring for state and local judges and other court personnel. 

The bill passed the Senate back in June and is now in the House.