x
Breaking News
More () »

Man arrested, charged with murder of Fort Worth attorney, police say

Officers found 46-year-old Kimberly Knapp, an attorney with an office in Fort Worth, on a bed in the Saginaw home with a gunshot wound to her chest.

SAGINAW, Texas — A 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged for murder in the shooting death of a Fort Worth attorney, police said.

The Saginaw Police Department said in a news release Wednesday that officers responded at about 10 p.m. Monday to a house in the 200 block of Lottie Lane after someone reported a woman with a possible self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officers found 46-year-old Kimberly Knapp, an attorney with an office in Fort Worth, on a bed in the Saginaw home with a gunshot wound to her chest. Police applied pressure to her wound until MedStar and the Saginaw Fire Department arrived.

Knapp was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

Police said the only other person in the home was 32-year-old Rance Ray Magby. Evidence led investigators to believe that Magby was responsible for Knapp’s death, police said. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Magby and he was taken into custody.

Police said Magby and Knapp were dating or intimately involved. Friends say the two met in Fort Worth almost a year ago. 

Magby was booked into the Tarrant County jail on a murder charge. His bond has been set at $500,000. Because Knapp represented clients in Tarrant and Parker counties, Magby may appear before a judge Knapp previously argued a case before. 

Knapp's cousin, Kristin Williams, said her family is devastated. 

"Our beloved Kim was brilliant, kind, big-hearted and simply the funniest person to be around. I am heartbroken. I am still wrapping my head around this senseless tragedy," she said in a statement to WFAA. 

Leigh Davis, the president of the Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said Knapp won cases because she argued with conviction. 

"You could tell, when she walked through the courtroom, she was passionate about what she was doing," he said. "She was there with pride and purpose." 

More Texas headlines:

Before You Leave, Check This Out