Eyewear pitchman Yuchnitz dead

Mike Yuchnitz, known for his TV commercials as well as legal issues, was found dead Saturday. Mike Yuchnitz, known for his TV commercials as well as legal issues, was found dead Saturday. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Eyewear pitchman Yuchnitz dead 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Michael Yuchnitz, a prominent local businessman and TV pitchman who was awaiting trial for allegedly trying to hire a hit man to kill his wife, was found dead Saturday morning.

Michael Yuchnitz, 60, was found in the parking lot of the InTown Suites in the 6400 block of Bandera Road after he apparently collapsed in a slightly hidden area between a car and some landscaping, said Leon Valley Police Chief Randall Wallace.

"It was in a position where you had to walk very closely to see (him)," Wallace added.

A maintenance man discovered Yuchnitz's body as he did his usual rounds at the extended stay hotel, Wallace said. Yuchnitz was unresponsive.

There was no trauma and police said the death appeared to be a natural.

Yuchnitz, who was pronounced dead at 9:07 a.m., was undergoing treatment for lung cancer, his attorney David Christian said Saturday evening.

Christian stressed he had no information on whether his client's death was related to the illness.

The medical examiner's office had not conducted the autopsy as of Sunday morning.

Yuchnitz was known as a colorful TV presence in commercials for his My Econo's $39.95 Optical stores but gained notoriety when arrested in 2010 for solicitation of capital murder. Out on bail, his subsequent divorce trial included lurid testimony about the couple's turbulent life and about the criminal accusation, which figured into the division of their businesses and lavish personal assets.

A criminal trial was scheduled for March 2014, according to court records.

Yuchnitz was accused of hiring a hit man to kill his then-wife, Tina Yuchnitz. An informant told police that Yuchnitz agreed to pay $10,000 to have her killed, even suggesting she be shot when she traveled to the East Side for a card game because it could look like a robbery in a high crime area, the arrest affidavit said.

Tina Yuchnitz filed for divorce and a protective order the day police told her about the alleged plot, according to previous Express-News stories.

The couple's high-profile divorce proceedings began in February 2012 and included accusations from both sides of abuse and bad behavior. Capping two weeks of testimony, a jury decided that each had inflicted severe emotional distress on the other and recommended a judge split their assets 50-50.

No number was listed for Tina Yuchnitz, and her divorce attorney could not be reached. A call to the couple's son Noah Yuchnitz at one of the tattoo businesses he owns was not returned.

A number once used by the couple's other son, Justin, was no longer his.

Yuchnitz received his optometry training in the Air Force, which he joined in 1970. He served for about 20 years before retiring and starting his business.

Christian, who was representing Michael Yuchnitz in the criminal case, said his client was looking forward to his day in court and to explaining his side of the story.

“He hated being in this horrible situation,” Christian said.

mmondo@express-news.net

Staff writers Vianna Davila and Drew Joseph contributed to this report