Daughter of Shooting Suspect Now Also Arrested for Murder
Kayla McKim, the daughter of Flatonia Postmaster Michael McKim, now faces murder charges alongside her father for the 2023 killing of Jason Pilat near Shiner.
Kayla McKim, 21 of Flatonia, was arrested last Wednesday, Oct. 2, after she was indicted on the murder charge by a Lavaca County Grand Jury. Bond was set at $250,000. She was no longer in jail as of Monday morning.
Her father was arrested on March 22, 2023, following Pilat’s death. The case stems from an altercation that took place in Pilat’s yard in the early morning hours of Sunday, March 5, 2023.
At that time, Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon said his office received a 911 call from Pilat’s residence around 12:53 a.m. Upon arrival, deputies found Pilat lying unconscious on the ground with a gunshot wound to his head. Michael McKim was seated and waiting for law enforcement to arrive, Harmon said at the time.
“What we’ve been able to ascertain thus far is that the victim was inside his residence, where he was entertaining a young lady friend – a lady friend who happened to be married to another man,” Harmon said the day after the incident in a statement to Lavaca County Today.
Harmon told reporters that Michael McKim was trying to find his wife. Harmon said he brought along his adult daughter, who assisted him using a cell phone locator. At the time, Harmon said Michael McKim removed a 9mm pistol from his wife’s car after they locat- ed it at Pilat’s residence. An argument then ensued between Pilat and Michael McKim on the front porch, which ended with the shooting.
Pilat initially survived, and Michael McKim was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with bond set at $100,000. He posted bond and was released. But then on March 17, Pilat died from his injuries. Lavaca County investigators along with the Texas Rangers arrested McKim on March 22 last year for murder. His bond was set at $500,000, which he posted three days later.
Michael McKim, 45, has been the Postmaster in Flatonia since 2022.
The Record reached out to the Lavaca County Attorney’s Office following Kayla Mc-Kim’s indictment and arrest last week.
“She’s accused of participating in the same murder that her father is accused of participating in,” said assistant county attorney James Reeves.
Reeves said the murder charge against Kayla McKim involves Texas’ “law of parties,” which says that a person can be held criminally responsible for the acts of another person if they participate in certain ways.
Reeves declined to discuss the specifics of the case or any evidence the prosecution intends to present.
The law offices of Winters & Chidester Criminal Defense Attorneys represent Kayla McKim. The Record spoke with attorney Veronica Chidester, but she declined to comment. The Record also reached out to Michael Mc-Kim’s attorney, Jarrod Lee Smith of the Smith & Vinson Law Firm. He had not returned our call at the time of this publication.
Court records show that Kayla and Michael McKim live at the same address in Flatonia. Kayla McKim is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 4. Michael McKim’s trial has been set to begin on March 4, 2025.