Houston man paying child support for kid that's not his is walking to Austin to raise awareness

Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his. Gabriel Cornejo started his 165-mile walk from Houston to Austin Friday to raise awareness over having to pay child support for a kid that isn't his. Photo: Gabriel Cornejo Photo: Gabriel Cornejo Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Houston man paying child support for kid that's not his is walking to Austin to raise awareness 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

The Houston man ordered to pay child support for a child that is not his is starting a 165-mile walk to Austin to raise awareness for his situation.

Gabriel Cornejo, 45, was ordered by a court to pay child support more than a decade ago for a baby his ex-girlfriend claimed was his. A DNA test proved otherwise, but according to Texas law, Cornejo is still responsible for roughly $65,000 in child support.

Cornejo must pay up because of Texas' family code, chapter 161, which states, even if you're not the biological father, you still owe child support that accrued before the DNA test proves you're not the father, Cornejo's lawyer Cheryl Coleman told Chron.com on July 23.

NOT THE DADDY: Houston man must pay child support for kid that's not his

Today, Cornejo is married and has three children. He's chronicling his walk to Austin on Facebook.

"I'm just so proud of Gabriel standing up for what he believes in," Coleman told Chron.com Friday.

Cornejo began his walk from the Harris County Civil Court to the Texas State Capital today. If he walks it straight through, which is unlikely, it would take Cornejo 54 hours to complete, according to Google Maps.

Cornejo expects to be in Austin by Tuesday. He is due back in Harris County Civil Court Aug. 28.

"This is an epidemic affecting the USA, Canada, Australia, and many other countries. DNA is powerful enough to set a man free after being convicted for murder but not powerful enough to set you free from this trap," Cornejo told Chron.com Friday afternoon from the road.