For years he was a famed San Antonio business owner, and more recently a suspect in a murder for hire plot against his wife. Now Mike Yuchnitz has been found dead.
Yuchnitz's lawyer David Christian said he spoke to Yuchnitz Saturday morning.
"Yeah, this was a shock. Everything was normal this morning. Mike and I talked often. He was a very smart guy and a caring man so it was a very normal conversation this morning," said Christian.
The medical examiner's office confirmed Yuchnitz was found dead this morning.
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They pronounced him dead just after 9 a.m.
Police arrested Yuchnitz in October 2010 and charged him with solicitation of capital murder.
They said he had tried to hire out the murder of his wife.
The 60 year-old Yuchnitz had been fighting those charges ever since, but his trial was scheduled for next year.
"He looked forward to his day in court. He was extremely embarrassed and humbled with what he was charged with and he looked forward to presenting his side of the facts," said Christian.
He ran the local My Econo $39.95 optical stores, and pitched the eyeglasses in TV commercials.
But a high-profile and high stakes court battle with his wife ended in 2012 with the court awarding her that business.
The cause of Yuchnitz' death is not yet known. The medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine how he died.