AUSTIN, Texas – A teen is facing a felony charge after she allegedly made some ‘concerning’ statements online about an Austin ISD elementary school.

17-year-old Giana Castillo has been charged with third-degree felony terroristic threat and was taken into custody. Bond was set at $100,000.

The Austin Police Department says that on August 20, they were made aware of a credible threat against Graham Elementary School in Northeast Austin. The FBI also received a tip about an Instagram user making ‘concerning’ statements online.

APD then investigated, alongside the FBI, Austin ISD police and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, which led to the Instagram user being identified as Castillo, according to a joint statement from APD, the FBI and Austin ISD.

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Castillo’s parents are cooperating with law enforcement and additional patrols have been assigned to Graham Elementary.

According to court records, Castillo is set to have a hearing on Sept. 11.

APD and its partners say they are encouraging anyone that sees or hears something suspicious or out of the ordinary to report it immediately by calling 911. 

The investigation is ongoing.

AUSTIN, Texas – On Friday morning, a man accused of a multi-county shooting rampage in December appeared in Travis County court for the first time. Shane James, Jr. asked the judge if he could represent himself after a disagreement with his attorneys.

James’ attorney, Russell Hunt, Jr., said this was an unexpected development that appears to have come within the past 24 hours. He said it was a terrible idea for James to represent himself.

James walked into the 147th Travis County Criminal District Court looking significantly different from his mugshot from eight months ago.

“I want to represent myself,” James told the court. He says his attorneys, Michael Watson and Hunt, are doing things without his consent.

“I asked them to work with me, through me, they would show me first what they were doing, and they said no,” James said.

“In terms of making decisions about what experts are going to be hired, what witnesses are interviewed, what records are interviewed, interacting with prosecutors, that’s all stuff the lawyers do and the lawyers don’t need to get clearance from the clients to approach the case in that way,” Hunt said.

Hunt said they requested James receive a mental competency check, and he refused.

“I thought it was unnecessary, it’s unfounded, it’s baseless, there’s no reason for it and they told me that they don’t believe I’m competent,” James said.

“In cases where a person may be mentally incompetent, it’s not at all unusual for that person not to believe that they’re mentally incompetent, not to believe that they need any kind of psychiatric help. That’s not unusual,” James said.

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Judge Clifford Brown told James if he wanted to represent himself, he would have to have a competency evaluation regardless.

“What I’m going to suggest to you is that you work through your attorneys, and you speak with the expert psychologist that they have retained, and we can address that in the future,” Judge Brown said.

James currently faces four capital murder charges, two attempted capital murder charges, and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Travis County. He also faces two capital murder charges and three family violence misdemeanors in Bexar County. Police said James killed his parents in San Antonio before driving to Austin and killing four more people and injuring two police officers and a cyclist in December.

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“He’s in jail. He’s charged with terrible crimes. He does have a history of psychiatric disturbances,’ Hunt said. ‘The guy’s in a terrible spot, and he’s trying to do what he can to control his situation.”

If James is found incompetent, this case could be delayed for years until he receives treatment in the state hospital. Hunt said James’ refusal of the mental competency check isn’t delaying the case at this point because attorneys are still gathering evidence.

James’ next hearing is set for October 10.

Country music singer and native Texan Miranda Lambert is bringing the honky tonk to Austin, Texas. Better yet, you’re invited to attend the free show!

To gear up for the release of her 10th studio album, “Postcards from Texas,” Lambert is hosting a free pop-up concert at Stubb’s, 801 Red River St., Austin, on Friday, Aug. 23. Having recorded the album, which serves as her label debut with Republic Records, at the iconic Arlyn Studios in Austin, it makes all the more sense for Lambert to host a pre-release party in the Capital City.

If you’re hoping to attend the show, you’ll first need to secure a wristband. To try your hand at snagging one for Lambert’s free concert, you can swing by the box office at Stubb’s starting at noon on Friday. Wristbands will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, and there is a limit of one wristband per person.

Once all the wristbands have been handed out, there will be no additional wristbands distributed, and no one will be allowed entry at Stubb’s without a wristband. Doors for the show open at 5 p.m. on Friday, and the concert will start at 6 p.m.

“Postcards from Texas” is due Friday, Sept. 13.

Speaking in a press release about the third single from the album, “Alimony,” which details a failing marriage in Lambert’s wink-and-nudge style, the Texan said, “My parents were private investigators in Dallas, Texas who worked a ton of divorce cases in highfalutin parts of town, so this wasn’t hard to write. I’d heard about it my whole life.”

You can watch the video for “Alimony” below: