A San Antonio wills and trust attorney learned her prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to stealing more than $500,000 from six children whose parents died in a 2021 murder-suicide.
Judge Kirsten Cohoon, who presides over Kendall County’s 451st Criminal District Court, sentenced Karen Kay Hogan, 69, to 20 years in prison on June 1, according to a June 5 news release from the Kendall County District Attorney’s Office.
On March 20, Hogan took a plea deal by pleading guilty on charges of misapplication by a fiduciary of $300,000 or more (a first-degree felony) and exploitation of a disabled individual (a third-degree felony), court records obtained by KSAT Investigates show. The oldest of the children has a developmental disability, according to Hogan’s arrest affidavit.
The plea agreement’s punishment ranged from a minimum of probation to a maximum of 20 years in prison. Punishment for both charges are running concurrently.
On Dec. 31, 2021, Kendall County deputies were dispatched on a disturbance call to a Boerne residence in the 100 block of Ridge Lane.
When they arrived, deputies found Jason Marcus Evans and Emily Elizabeth Fulton Evans dead from gunshot wounds. Investigators determined Jason Evans was the shooter.
The Evans had five daughters and a son, who were inside the home at the time of the shooting. At the time, the couple’s children ranged in age from 4 to 15 years old.
The children are the heirs to the Evans’ estates.
Hogan was appointed as temporary administrator for the estates of Jason and Emily Evans on Nov. 15, 2022, and later appointed dependent administrator for the estates by a Kendall County judge.
On Jan. 9, 2023, a savings and checking account in the name of “ESTATE OF JASON MARCUS EVANS” was opened at a bank with Hogan listed as a joint account owner.
A similar savings and checking account was opened in the name of “ESTATE OF EMILY ELIZABETH FULTON EVANS” at the bank on Nov. 15, 2023 with Hogan listed as a joint account owner.
The opening account balance was slightly more than $400,000 for Jason Evans’ account and slightly more than $24,500 for Emily Evans’ account, according to the affidavit.
On Aug. 5, 2023, Hogan transferred $40,000 from Jason Evans’ account into her business checking account without permission from the court, her arrest affidavit states.
“(Hogan) is not an heir to the Evans estate and is not entitled to these funds in any capacity; said funds are designated for the Evans children,” the affidavit states.
Two days later, Hogan electronically wired $20,000 from her business checking account into an unknown account. On Sept. 8, 2023, Hogan wired another $20,000 from her business checking account into an unknown account, arrest records show.
“(Hogan) has refused to explain the purpose for or the destination of these funds belonging to the Evans children,” the affidavit states.
From August 2023 to February 2024, Hogan misapplied $541,550 in total from the estates, the affidavit states. In its June 5 news release, the district attorney’s office said an outstanding balance of $189,678.50 is still owed to the Evans’ estates.
During the state’s closing argument, Kendall County Prosecutor Nicole Bishop asked Judge Cohoon to give Hogan the maximum 20-year prison sentence.
“If she really cared about those kids, she would have paid the restitution immediately, and she did not. I have zero confidence, and I don’t believe this court should have any confidence, that she will pay that money back,” Bishop told the court, according to the release. “She’s playing games. And you know what the prize is for playing those games? Go to prison.”
In addition to the 20 years in prison and the order to pay $189,678.50 in restitution, Cohoon assessed Hogan an additional $5,000 fine.
For more information see Nate Kotisso and Dillon Collier “San Antonio attorney sentenced to 20 years in prison following guilty plea in $540K theft case” KSAT, June 8, 2026.