Travis County Jury Convicts Man of Hate Crime and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
Travis County, TX — On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, a Travis County jury convicted George Johnson, 35, of two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and found true an allegation that he intentionally selected the victim because of his bias against a group identified by sexual preference.
For the trial, jury selection started on Monday, October 27, 2025, with testimony given the following day. On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, the jury deliberated and found Mr. Johnson guilty of two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and found true that he intentionally selected the victim because of his bias against a group identified by sexual preference. On the same day the defendant was found guilty, the judge sentenced him to serve five years for each count to be served concurrently in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
On June 22, 2022, the Austin Police Department arrested Mr. Johnson for the incident that occurred on June 14, 2022, on a public bus. According to the bus surveillance video presented as evidence at trial, the defendant approached the victim randomly with a box cutter in his hand and slapped him in the face while making derogatory and homophobic comments at the victim, including, “I’ll cut your (expletive) throat. Don’t ever do that, gay (expletive) again.”
On May 18, 2023, Mr. Johnson was reindicted for the offenses of two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, with an allegation that he intentionally selected the victim because of his bias against a group identified by sexual preference.
Special Victims Director Andrea Austin and 450th Court Team Lead Dominic Selvera presented the case against Mr. Johnson with the support of Victim Counselor Lynn Cragg, Investigator Charles Dobbins, Paralegal Diane Nanez, and Legal Secretary Rebecca LaBeth. Austin Police Department Detective Brandon Solis investigated Mr. Johnson’s case.
“The Travis County District Attorney’s office does not tolerate acts of hate in our community, takes hate crimes seriously, and is committed to holding people who commit these crimes accountable,” said Travis County District Attorney José Garza. “Our office is grateful to our dedicated staff and law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to hold the defendant accountable and seek justice for the victim. We hope this verdict continues to help the victim with their healing journey.”
Since 2021, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners have successfully partnered to investigate and prosecute hate crimes in our community through our joint participation in our community’s Hate Crimes Task Force.
In 2021, the Travis County District Attorney’s office secured hate crime convictions against three defendants for a hate crime committed against a gay couple in Austin in 2019. In July 2025, Michael Boone pleaded guilty to Terroristic Threat to Cause Imminent Serious Bodily Injury and admitted to a hate crime allegation after making a terroristic threat against AISD Board of Trustees for their participation in the Austin Pride Parade in 2023.
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