A 62-year-old Texas engineer who had connections to several Fox News personalities was fatally stabbed from behind while sitting on a park bench in Round Rock, authorities say. Investigators have called the killing a random attack and arrested a repeat offender who had spent months in the Williamson County jail earlier this year.
Andrew James Wimsatt of Austin was killed Sept. 7, authorities said, only minutes after he stopped at the park following a visit with his mother at a nearby nursing home.
Williamson County deputies arrested 26-year-old Benedict Chinedu Ogbodiegwu, a local resident, on charges of murder and theft.
Andrew Wimsatt poses for a selfie taken last year after receiving a package from Fox News contributor Kat Timpf. (Courtesy of Kat Timpf)
The deadly encounter was captured by surveillance cameras, according to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said a man identified as Wimsatt sat on a bench at about 11 a.m. Within minutes, another man — allegedly Ogbodiegwu — approached from behind, grabbed him and repeatedly stabbed him in the neck.
Wimsatt fought to free himself but could not force the attacker away as the stabbing continued, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Fox 7 Austin. The suspect then allegedly wiped blood on his shirt before walking out of the camera’s view.
The suspect, identified by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office as 26-year-old Benedict Ogbodiegwu, appears in surveillance footage near the crime scene. He is being held on a $1 million bond. (Williamson County Sheriff’s Office)
Wimsatt held a doctorate in civil engineering and worked for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. IMDb credits him as an executive producer on Penn Jillette’s horror-comedy “Director’s Cut.” His Instagram account featured images of wildlife, old storefronts and urban scenery.
He also maintained connections with several Fox News personalities.
“He might be the only person on social media to never leave a bad word on a post about anyone,” Greg Gutfeld wrote in an X post after news of the arrest. “He was relentless supportive and if he didn’t like something, he usually kept it to himself, or found a way to engage positively.”
Kat Timpf called him a “fan who became a friend” — a friend not only to her, but also to her family. They had lunch in Fort Worth in June, and she said she was expecting to see him at a show in Nevada later this month.
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Andrew Wimsatt, 62, had a Ph.D. in civil engineering and worked for the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. (Texas A&M Transportation Institute)
“He was so kind and generous it almost seems impossible,” she told News Media Friday. “He always supported me… whether that was sending me clips I wanted to post or offering truly helpful words of encouragement during the times throughout my career that the internet was piling on me.”
They spoke regularly — one a week or more for years — and he became known for sending TV clips to members of the “Gutfeld!” cast.
“Whenever the rest of the internet was making me feel hopeless about the state of the world, I could always count on a message from Andrew to remind me of the good that’s out there, too,” Timpf said.
Wimsatt attended Tyrus’ standup shows as well.
“[He] took care of his mother… always positive… he was kind man, 62 years old fragile looking but had a monster laugh,” Tyrus said in a statement. “I was honored to know him I was honored he cared so much and honored that my jokes and thoughts brought him joy.”
On Labor Day, a witness called 911 after finding Wimsatt on the ground in the park, and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to authorities.
Investigators were able to retrace the suspect’s steps and allegedly recovered prints and other evidence, including bloody clothes and the suspected murder weapon, according to the affidavit. When confronted with video evidence, Ogbodiegwu allegedly claimed he had a twin brother but could not provide his name.
Booking photos of Benedict Ogbodiegwu from his arrest on Sept. 7 in connection with the murder of 62-year-old civil engineer Andrew Wimsatt. He is being held on $1 million bond in what authorities have described as a random attack. (Williamson County Sheriff’s Office)
Ogbodiegwu has a criminal record in Williamson County going back to at least 2017, when he was charged with stealing. He had two prior arrests this year, on charges involving theft and carrying fake identification.
Prior to his arrest in connection with Wimsatt’s murder, he was most recently released from the county jail on June 9. He had also been incarcerated between January and April.
He’s being held on $1 million bond. His next court date is on Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m., for a pre-indictment docket call.