Athens man accused in shooting, standoff now charged with capital murder

By KLTV Digital Media Staff

ANDERSON COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - An Athens man accused of shooting someone to death and taking hostages has been given a new indictment by a grand jury.

According to court documents, an Anderson County grand jury is now charging Robert Mason Eckert III with capital murder in connection with the death of Marco Matthew Gonzales, 38, whom Eckert allegedly shot multiple times. Eckert is also accused of taking multiple people hostage inside a home immediately following the shooting which occurred on Dec. 9, 2021 at a residence on County Road 309 in Anderson County. Eckert later surrendered to the sheriff’s office.

Additional indictments against Eckert include five counts of aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

https://www.kltv.com/2022/12/05/athe...outputType=amp