Man Suspected in Houston Doctor Killing is a Texas Real Estate Agent with Active License

And he apparently had a 20 year grudge against the doctor, renown Houston cardiologist Dr. Mark Hausknecht, who was shot to death as he rode his bicycle to work on July 20. He has his own brokerage, Pappas Realty Company, which he apparently ran out of his Westbury house at 5003 Stillbrooke Drive.

The suspect, Joseph James Pappas, is also a retired deputy constable who has had an active Texas real estate license since July of 1992. 

Pappas apparently tried selling a cache of weapons and ammunition online days after the killing, which may have helped Houston police find him:

A seller using the same phone number as the alleged killer posted listings for two tactical vests, a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver,  a $4,500 semi-automatic FN rifle, two sets of ballistic door panels for a Crown Victoria and a box of ammunition  – items totaling thousands of dollars.

It’s unclear whether the guns listed for sale included the weapon used in the doctor’s fatal shooting.

According to KPRC, Pappas had a document notarized on July 19, the day before the shooting, to allow him to transfer his home’s deed to a woman in Ohio. Houston police are now saying Pappas may be suicidal: “He is dangerous. He is capable and, if you spot him, please call 911.” 

KPRC dug up more about Pappas, including a problem he had years ago with a former employer who characterized him as a “loose cannon”:

His record shows he worked with Harris County Precinct 2 and Precinct 7. He was first paid for his services, and later was listed as a volunteer reserve.

Pappas held an armed law enforcement job for more than 30 years, until 2013.

Pappas is not married and has no kids.

His friends called him “Joey” and he was living in the same Westbury home where he grew up. The home was raided Wednesday morning by police.

Out of the well-kept home, Pappas runs a real estate brokerage under his own name. His neighbors said he is meticulous about his own home’s lawn maintenance.

Pappas also had a business application to run a concealed handgun instruction academy, so it seems he had certain skills with a gun.

Although no criminal convictions were found, in Pappas’ past there was perhaps an inkling of trouble decades ago.

In a 1986 lawsuit Pappas filed against an employer, Channel 2 Investigates found an odd excerpt: Pappas was characterized as a loose cannon who was “barred from attending meetings … because of various inappropriate activities,” the lawsuit read.