Users can refuse, but the police can still obtain footage using other legal avenues, such as obtaining a warrant.

Image Michael Egwuagu. Credit... Travis County Sheriff's Office, via Associated Press

“Ring will not disclose user videos to police unless the user expressly consents or if disclosure is required by law, such as to comply with a warrant,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “Ring objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate legal demands as a matter of course.”

It was unclear whether a Ring camera was involved in the Pflugerville case; other popular home security camera brands include Wyze and Nest. The sheriff’s department declined to say which brand of camera had filmed Mr. Egwuagu on Friday.

The murder charge captured additional attention because Mr. Egwuagu had been known as a star football player at the University of Texas, San Antonio. He was a safety who tried out for National Football League scouts in 2017 and 2018.

After Mr. Egwuagu left the residence in Pflugerville, an Austin suburb, around 5 p.m. on Friday, witnesses said he knelt down in the street as though he were praying, then removed his clothing and placed it in a trash can, the arrest affidavit said. The arrest affidavit also said that Ms. Ebichi’s two children were present at the time of her death.

An autopsy showed that Ms. Ebichi had been in her first trimester of pregnancy when she died. Dr. J. Keith Pinckard, the chief medical examiner in Travis County, estimated that she had sustained one dozen to two dozen stab wounds, according to the arrest affidavit.

Mr. Egwuagu is being held on a $500,000 bond. A statement from the office of Krista A. Chacona, a lawyer representing Mr. Egwuagu, said: “We do not have any comment at this time except to say that this is a very painful and difficult time for the family. We would ask that people please respect their privacy and allow them time to grieve.”