Suspect in Houston doctor's slaying kills self during confrontation with HPD

Houston Police set up police lines around the area on Bob White Drive, after police say Joseph James Pappas, the suspect in the murder of Dr. Mark Hausknecht, shot himself, August 3, 2018 in Houston. Houston Police set up police lines around the area on Bob White Drive, after police say Joseph James Pappas, the suspect in the murder of Dr. Mark Hausknecht, shot himself, August 3, 2018 in Houston. Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 53 Caption Close Suspect in Houston doctor's slaying kills self during confrontation with HPD 1 / 53 Back to Gallery

The former lawman accused of gunning down a Houston cardiologist in the Texas Medical Center last month killed himself during a confrontation with police near Brays Bayou on Friday morning, bringing an end to a two-week saga that rattled the city's medical community and confounded investigators.

After developing a list of names, amassing a file on his target, giving away his house and car and leaving behind a "Last Will and Testament" in the kitchen of his nearly empty Westbury home, Joseph "Joey" Pappas shot himself in the head in front of two Houston police officers trying to arrest him.

"It's a sad day all the way around," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo told reporters. "This doesn't bring anybody back, but it does bring closure."

The 62-year-old accused gunman — a former deputy constable and real estate agent who was an expert marksman — was formally charged late Thursday with the murder of Dr. Mark Hausknecht, whose July 20 killing was caught on a METRO bus camera. The motive, police said, appeared to be a two-decade-old grudge Pappas had nursed against the doctor since his mother died on the operating table in 1997.

"Why he was going to do or did this, we'll never know 100 percent," Acevedo said. "The only connection we can find, despite all the speculation, is that Dr. Hausknecht operated on his mom over 20 years ago."

FOUND AT HOME: Man suspected in doctor killing left 'Last Will and Testament,' boxes of ammo

The morning of the slaying, the 65-year-old physician was riding his bike to work in the Texas Medical Center when a man started riding behind him along Main Street. Wearing a hat and sunglasses and toting a full backpack, the biker followed Hausknecht for miles before passing him just before 9 a.m. and then turning around to open fire, striking the doctor in the head and torso. Hausknecht was taken to Ben Taub Hospital, where he died.

"The unknown male did not stop and rode his bike away from the scene," police wrote in court documents describing the shooting as a "targeted attack" based on the deliberate manner in which the suspect started shooting "without provocation" before fleeing.

The crime baffled police for days. Early this week, investigators got a tip from a woman concerned that her neighbor looked like the man shown in video surveillance footage released that day.

The woman and another neighbor told police where Pappas lived in Westbury, according to court documents, and said that he usually rode his bike with a "full" backpack like the one described by police.

Investigators checked county records and found Pappas owned the house in question, in the 5000 block of Stillbrooke. That same day, police also spoke to a family friend and learned their potential suspect had threatened suicide in a text message.

Around the time of the crime, Pappas had sent the title to his vehicle and the deed for his home to that friend's mother in Ohio, claiming he had a terminal illness.

"I called him on the 24th and he said he had a terminal illness, and that's why he deeded (me) the house," Jeanette Spencer told the News-Herald, a northern Ohio newspaper.

On Monday, the day Spencer's daughter was supposed to meet with Pappas while visiting Houston, Pappas texted Spencer that he was going to kill himself.

"Sorry for handling things this way," he texted. "House and property is now yours. Please make best use of it for you and (your daughter)."

OHIO CONNECTION: Ohio woman reveals recent conversations with suspect in doctor's killing

Worried about his well-being, the daughter drove to Pappas' home Tuesday and tried to get police to come for a welfare check, according to court records. When she got there, the woman found that officers had already shown up and left.

She went into the home to check for herself, according to court records. Once she spoke to investigators in the case, though, police returned to the home.

They did not encounter Pappas but instead found a home seemingly set up for a standoff.

READ MORE: Suspected killer transferred deed day before death of Houston doctor

Immediately inside the front door was a piece of metal positioned as a buttress against any forced entry, police said. In the main living area was just one piece of furniture — a chair sitting directly in front of the window.

In the kitchen was a "Last Will and Testament" of Joseph Pappas. The garage housed the man's vehicle and three boxes of .22-caliber ammunition.

After authorities collected the evidence in a Wednesday morning raid, police released the suspect's name and possible motive, pleading for the public's help tracking him down. The Harris County District Attorney's Office filed a murder charge on Thursday.

It is not clear what Pappas did in the days between the killing and his death. He accessed four houses in the area using his real estate agent key, and police said he may have been camping somewhere.

Five days after Hausknecht was killed, Pappas apparently listed a number of guns, tactical vests and ammunition for sale online. He appeared to have been divesting himself of furniture and possessions as early as last October. In January, he offered for sale online an extensive list of weapons and reloading equipment.

On Thursday night, SWAT officers surrounded Pappas' house in Westbury after receiving a report that a gate to the yard was open and lights in the house were on. It turned out no one was in the house.

It was not until Friday morning that police finally found their man.

Just after 9 a.m., a Houston Parks Board worker checking graffiti hotspots along Brays Bayou called police to say he was chasing someone. Four minutes later, he called back to report that the person was near the Seven Acres nursing home on North Braeswood, and that it might be Pappas.

A few minutes later, the man called again to say he spotted the suspected killer sitting down.

When the worker approached, Pappas started walking away, but he left behind his wallet. The worker called out to him, yelling that he was just looking for vandals. He told police Pappas motioned with his arms, then turned to walk away again.

The worker picked up the wallet from the ground where Pappas had been sitting, opened it and immediately recognized the name.

He phoned police, who arrived shortly after 9:30 a.m. near the 8800 block of Bob White Drive, where an officer spotted Pappas.

The first officer on the scene approached Pappas, who was wearing body armor and mentioned suicide. The officer took shelter behind his patrol car after Pappas refused to follow the officer's orders to show his hands.

When another officer arrived, Pappas took out a .22-caliber snub-nosed revolver and shot himself in the head, police said. He had a second gun on him at the time of his death, the chief said, but police did not specify what type.

Acevedo expressed relief that the confrontation did not have a worse outcome.

"You normally don't put on a bulletproof vest when you're planning to commit suicide," he said. "I'm convinced if we had not had that second officer arrive from a different angle, we might have had a shootout."

In recent months, Pappas had amassed a detailed file of intelligence on Hausknecht's life, routines, job and home. On one sheet of paper, he listed two dozen names of other medical professionals and Texas Medical Center workers. Acevedo would not call it a "hit list" but said the Texas Medical Center had been informed.

"We can't put much into that other than to say it was a very extensive list of names," he said. A Texas Medical Center spokesman declined to comment, but a spokesman for Houston Methodist, where Hausknecht worked, said HPD had shared the list with hospital officials.

Friday evening, Hausknecht's wife put out a statement praising law enforcement's efforts to solve her husband's murder.

"I echo the sentiments of Houston Police Department Chief Acevedo this morning in thanking the numerous departments, communities, and individuals involved whose teamwork and cooperation lead to the rapid resolution of this case," Dr. Georgia Hsieh said. "Media's role in keeping the public informed is also acknowledged. The family can never adequately thank our friends and neighbors who have loved and supported us. I am most grateful, however, for the many wonderful years our family shared together."

The couple had two adult sons.

Todd Ackerman and Fernando Alfonso III contributed to this report.

keri.blakinger@chron.com

samantha.ketterer@chron.com