By Georgia Ferguson
Update:
It took jurors only one hour Wednesday morning to decide the sentence for Thomas Johnson.
The former Texas A&M football player will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing 53-year-old jogger Dave Stephens in a seemingly random machete attack in 2015.
Previously: Man found guilty of slaying White Rock runner in machete attack
A former Texas A&M wider receiver was found guilty Tuesday of using a machete to slay a jogger on White Rock Trail in 2015.
Prosecutors said 25-year-old Thomas Johnson waited under Walnut Hill Bridge and used a machete to stab 53-year-old Dave Stephens as he ran on the trail, the Advocate previously reported. Following the attack, Johnson borrowed the phone of a Dallas Parks worker and called 911. He told authorities he “committed capital murder.”
Johnson, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia, was originally deemed unfit to stand trial. The trial began Monday after he received treatment and a mental health evaluation, according to CBS DFW. He pleaded not guilty.
The jury reached its decision after less than a full day of trial. Sentencing began after the verdict.
