Texas civil engineer murdered, nearly beheaded in ambush attack in Round Rock park, repeat criminal suspect in custody

A man was murdered in broad daylight in Round Rock, Texas on Labor Day. The suspect, with a prior criminal history, was seen on video stabbing a man in the neck from behind and then trying to behead the victim, according to authorities. 

Benedict Ogbodiegwu Jr., 26, was arrested and charged with the murder of 62-year-old Andrew James Wimsatt. According to footage of the killing, Ogbodiegwu walked up behind Wimsatt after the older man sat down on a bench at Round Rock Park in Texas.

Footage from a nearby home captured what took place next. After stopping for a drink by the basketball court, Ogbodiegwu walked up behind Wimsatt, wrapped his arm around him, and then stabbed him repeatedly in the neck. Despite trying to push him off, the victim was unable to do so. Wimsatt was stabbed multiple times before he fell to the ground. After the initial stabbing, Ogbodiegwu walked around the bench, put his knee on the man's chest, and began to saw the knife back and forth in his neck. He wiped the knife on his shirt, then went towards the pool.

A woman reported finding Wimsatt's body at 11:15 am at the park, near Double File Trail Elementary. She found him with significant injuries to the neck and called the police, per Fox 7. The suspect later showed up at a McDonald's in a different outfit and got in as a passenger to a red SUV. The car was registered at his family's address.

Authorities showed up at his home and showed Ogbodiegwu a still photo of the crime scene with him in it. He allegedly admitted to the killing, then said he was not at the park, then said he had a twin, but could not tell the police what the twin's name was. Detectives found a trash bag by his home with a black shirt, gray sweatpants, and a large knife that had red stains on them, which tested positive for blood.

Authorities determined that the attack was random and that Ogbodiegwu did not know Wimsatt. Before he was killed, Wimsatt had just returned from visiting his mother in a nursing home.

Wimsatt has been revealed to be an accomplished civil engineer with three degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. He was also an avid news clipper and did the work for free for people whom he admired. Fox News host Greg Gutfeld said of Wimsatt that he was "supremely gentle, willing to do just about anything for another person."

Fox News contributor George Timothy Murdoch, better known as “Tyrus,” described Wimsatt as "always positive ... with a monster laugh."

 

Kat Timpf wrote, “Andrew was a rare person: Genuinely kind just for the sake of it; it quite clearly never occurred to him to expect anything in return.”

Ogbodiegwu, on the other hand, is a career criminal. In 2017, Ogbodiegwu was charged with theft, which is a felony in the state. The charge was dismissed. In January 2026, he was again arrested for theft, and the court ordered a competency evaluation and then committed him to restoration in February. The May 29 competency hearing was canceled, and he was dismissed on April 7.

He was later arrested again in May this year for giving police false identification. The charge was dismissed. Now, he has been arrested for murder.