HOUSTON – Houston criminal defense attorney Michael Stuart Driver has been charged with murder in connection with the June 27 shooting death of 45-year-old Jesse Reyes.
According to the Houston Police Department, officers responded to a shooting on June 27 and were flagged down by Driver, who identified himself as the shooter.
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Investigators said Driver told officers he had been involved in a physical altercation before pulling out a gun and shooting Reyes. Records identify Reyes as Driver’s roommate and bodyguard.
According to a law enforcement source who spoke with KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry, Driver told investigators Reyes had been his best friend for about two years.
Court documents state Driver is claiming self-defense in the shooting.
Court records identify Driver as the principal attorney of Driver Law Firm, a Houston practice he has operated for seven years. On the firm’s website, Driver describes himself as a seasoned Texas trial attorney known for his courtroom advocacy, strategic litigation skills and representation of clients in high-stakes cases across the state.
The case has now prompted the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to ask to be removed from the prosecution.
In a court filing, prosecutors asked the presiding judge to “grant disqualification for good cause,” citing Driver’s relationship to an employee within the office. The filing states, “Controlling law permits the court to grant disqualification upon a showing of good cause…the defendant is an immediate relative of an employee of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. In an abundance of caution, the orderly administration of justice is best served by disqualification of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office from the instant proceeding.”
Driver is related to Harris County District Attorney’s Office Grand Jury Division Chief Stephen Driver, who is also a Republican candidate for judge of Harris County’s 208th District Court.
Driver is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday morning, where the judge is expected to consider the request to disqualify the Harris County District Attorney’s Office from handling the case.