Caldwell County jury finds Haynes guilty of two counts of capital murder

A Caldwell County jury of six men and six women found 38-year-old Bryan Haynes guilty of two counts of capital murder for the 2020 shooting deaths of a volunteer firefighter and his cousin near Luling on April 30.

Haynes was then sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after family members of the deceased delivered emotional victim impact statements during the sentencing phase of the trial.

Haynes was accused in the June 9, 2020 slayings of Southeast Caldwell County Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Klayton Manning, 18, and his 16-year-old cousin Landin Robinson near the 4400 block of Tenney Creek Road in Tilmon.

Manning and Robinson reportedly were investigating signs of smoke when they happened upon an individual, later identified as Haynes, who opened fire on the young men, killing both.

According to published reports, including one from KVUE-TV, Haynes claimed he was being chased by aliens and indicated that he had shot the “aliens” with his gun, emptying out a pair of 17-round magazines and a pair of 10-round magazines.

In October 2024, a jury found Hayes competent to stand trial, determining he could understand the severity of charges he was facing and that he had the mental capacity to assist in his own defense. He remained in jail in lieu of bond from his arrest after being apprehended at a home in Bastrop County.

Caldwell County applied for a grant and hired Lisa Tanner, a former prosecutor with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, to prosecute the case due to her extensive experience in capital murder trials.