Police: Suspect in death of President George H.W. Bush's former cardiologist is found dead

[left-of-center2012]

Source: Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Houston's police chief said a man accused of killing one of former President George H.W. Bush's doctors has killed himself.
Chief Art Acevedo made the announcement at a news conference Friday.

Authorities had been searching for Joseph James Pappas, 62, in connection with the shooting death of Dr. Mark Hausknecht on July 20 in Houston, Texas.

Dr. Hausknecht was gunned down while riding his bike to work at Houston Methodist Hospital, which is part of the busy Texas Medical Center. Authorities said Pappas rode past Dr. Hausknecht before turning around and firing.

Police said Pappas killed himself when confronted by authorities in Houston.
Chief Acevedo has said Pappas might have been seeking revenge for his mother, who died on the doctor's operating table more than 20 years ago, in April 1997.

(This story will be updated)

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2018/08/03/Suspect-pappas-fatal-shooting-Houston-doctor-Hausknecht-President-George-H-W-Bush/stories/201808030119

[LandOfHopeAndDreams]

1. Voluntary Capital Punishment

It's Texas, so saved a trial and lots of taxpayer cost for at least a few years. Good deal.

[dalton99a]

2. Man suspected in doctor killing left 'Last Will and Testament,' boxes of ammunition in Westbury home

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Man-suspected-in-doctor-killing-left-Last-Will-13129418.php

The killing baffled investigators for days. But on Tuesday, police got a tip from a woman who knew the man now charged in the killing. After tracking her down and interviewing her, police learned that she was concerned that her neighbor, Joseph "Joey" Pappas looked like the man shown in surveillance footage released that day.

The woman and another neighbor told police where he lived in Westbury, according to court documents, and said that he usually rides his bike with a "full" backpack - like the one described by police in earlier media releases.

Investigators checked home ownership records and found Pappas owned the house in question, in the 5000 block of Stillbrooke. That same day, police also spoke to a family friend of the suspected killer and learned the man had threatened suicide in a text message.

He'd also apparently sent the title to his vehicle and deed for his home to the family friend's mother, claiming he had a terminal illness.

[hibbing]

3. Such a strange case

Twenty years later he seeks "revenge" against the doctor? We never know what else is going on with people as we have way too many times recently seen regarding various suicides of well known figures. Still a very bizarre case to me.

Peace

[hlthe2b]

4. I know it is beyond the point of this sad story, but isn't anyone else curious about the facts

surrounding the OR death of the mother? Had there been an inquiry, a lawsuit (or a threat of one)?

Surely most medical professionals have experienced the unfortunate (and undeserved) accusations from family members for an unexpected death. Grief does that, after all. But, was there any more to it?

Obviously none of that in any way would justify what happened. Just make it a little less inexplicable.

[LisaL]

7. Oh for crying out loud. It was 20 years ago.

There is a statute of limitations on medical malpractice lawsuits, which is 2 years, so it's long passed.

[hlthe2b]

9. Oh, for crying out loud, YOURSELF. Your post obviously ignored what I wrote

It IS PERTINENT only to try to understand what caused this person to become so damned deranged. I surely am not blaming the victim.

[LisaL]

10. Yea, sure.

You think someone who holds a grudge for 20 years is rational in what he did?

[hlthe2b]

16. No one said he was rational.

Why the attacks on me personally?

[Ilsa]

12. I suspect the hospital's mortality & morbidity committee

reviewed the details of the patient's decline and death during surgery. She may have had a reaction to anesthesia. Or she may have had other health issues making her more vulnerable to complications.

I'm not using the term "ignorant" in a pejorative way, but sometimes the finer points of human physiology are lost on people who possess little medical information and understanding, and lack of understanding is compounded by grief.

The man is 62, and it was a 20 year old case. That means his mother was probably at least 60 years old. Surgeons require a battery of tests before they operate on anyone over 60 because of the likelihood of poorer outcomes.

[LisaL]

14. Mother was around 70 when she died.

Of natural causes due to atherosclerotic disease

https://www.click2houston.com/news/man-who-held-20-year-grudge-against-murdered-doctor-wanted-police-say

[hlthe2b]

17. This follow up article answers a lot of the questions I was asking ... and which were NOT included

originally.

[hlthe2b]

15. I'm a medical professional and quite aware of M&Ms. My question was from standpoint of the shooter

and what exactly motivated him. Had he filed a lawsuit? How do they know he was still holding this grudge? Had he been treated badly (even if he had no justifiable complaint)? Nothing causes more problems than a poor response to those grieving, rather than time taken to inform beforehand and explain with compassion afterwards.

As one who has had to pay my own countless thousands$$ in malpractice premiums over decades, yet never (fortunately) had a claim brought against me, I DO know it isn't only competence (and luck). I KNOW how important it is to ensure good communication to ensure grieving relatives understand what has been done, why, and why a bad outcome might have occurred.

I DO know there is more to the story than being reported and though I obviously have "skin in the game" when it comes to sensitivity over unfounded malpractice suits, yet there are reasonable questions to answer on this.

[LisaL]

18. He couldn't fie a lawsuit 20 years after the fact. Statute of limitations is 2 years on medical

malpractice, it was way passed.

[hlthe2b]

19. The question was whether he'd filed 20 years ago. n/t

[LisaL]

20. Not as far as I can tell.

[pecosbob]

5. This guy is an absolute piece of shit (from personal experience)

Ran into him a few times way back when I lived in Houston...wannabe cop, abused and manipulated street people in the Westheimer district in the 90s and onward. Had his cop buddies try to arrest me once when I intervened. Definitely the type to have a armory at home. All anyone had to do was go down and interview a few people on the street in Montrose and they would have gotten an earful about this guy.

[LisaL]

8. He was an actual deputy constable, not wannabe, for many years.

[pecosbob]

21. Yes, and then he was quietely removed from the Sheriff's Dept. because he manipulated prostitutes

for sex. He continued to act as if he was an active officer for years afterward. The guy preyed on young, defenseless runaways and street people for years.

[WhiteTara]

6. Poppy Bush is making sure his evil deeds die with him.

So no doc and no assassin.

[LisaL]

11. What in the world does it have to do with Bush?

[Snellius]

13. Too bad not a heart attack and the only doctor who could save him he killed. Good mystery plot.

Good plot for a murder mystery written by O. Henry.