Katy family not notified of federal hearing as 2009 murder appeal proceeds

Nineteen-year-old Ricky Virappen was shot six times and killed during a robbery in May 2009 while working as night manager at the Popeyes on FM 529 in Katy, and his family says they were not told about a federal hearing held months ago as the capital murder case moves through federal appeals.

The defendant, George Curry Jr., is a former Popeyes employee now 59 who was charged and convicted in the capital murder case. State appeals are reported to be complete and the matter is now at the federal level, but the exact date, court and purpose of the recent federal hearing have not been made clear to the Virappen family.

Ricky’s brother, Shawn Virappen, said the family discovered the hearing only after reaching out. “If I didn't reach out, we would have never known,” he said. Shawn added: “For us to not get notified, but the defendant gets notified, that's not fair to us.” He also noted the personal toll of the delay: “Today is my dad's 73rd birthday and I don't know when my parents will find justice.”

Ricky’s mother, Barbara Virappen, described the family’s long wait and disbelief at the timeline. “No. Did not think that at all,” she said when asked whether they expected to wait nearly two decades. “We don't know if we will be here to find justice, we might be fine. This is terrible.”

Reporters first met the Virappens in 2012, when the family said they had waited four years to see Curry stand trial; that statement sits awkwardly against the May 2009 killing and underscores remaining questions about the case timeline. Public records provided with the family’s account do not include arrest, trial, conviction or sentencing dates, and the material available to the family does not specify whether Curry was ever sentenced to death.

Andy Kahan of Crime Stoppers criticized the lapse in victim notification and stressed the burden on the family. “They've had to do all the leg work,” Kahan said, and he urged a procedural fix: “It shouldn't be that difficult to set up a system, like TDCJ does, when the perpetrator comes up for parole.”

Key documents and dates remain unconfirmed: arrest and indictment dates for Curry, trial and sentencing records, the precise schedule and court for the federal hearing described as occurring months ago, and any victim-notification logs related to appellate or federal proceedings. The Virappens say the defendant received notice of the hearing while they did not.

As federal appeals continue, the Virappen family says it will press for clearer notification and for access to court records so they can track hearings and filings. With a 73-year-old father and two decades of waits already, the family’s demand for transparency centers on one concrete request: to be told when and where the next legal step will be held.