He also is a self-described “military brat” who grew up on Fort Sam Houston and in the neighborhoods around the post. Half of his nearly 30-year career was spent covering crime, public safety and courts for the Express-News, where he saw enough tragedies—and a few triumphs — to fill a book or two. He is the former vice president of the San Antonio Press Club, a contributor to a wide variety of magazines and newspapers and an award-winning writer. Not long ago, he took first place in a state journalism contest for an article profiling a mass murderer now sitting on Death Row. He is married with two children, and splits his time between a home in north-central San Antonio and a horse farm west of Austin.