After three days of testimony and closing arguments, a jury in the 155th Judicial District Court of Fayette County, Texas, found Charles Lee Tillman, Jr. guilty of murder on Friday, April 19, 2024. Tillman was convicted for the killing of David Wayne Harrison Jr. at the River Valley Apartments in La Grange, Texas, on May 30, 2021.
The altercation leading to the murder began when Harrison got into a verbal argument with Tillman’s daughter. Tillman, upon being contacted by his daughter, traveled from Glidden, Texas, to confront Harrison at his apartment. After leaving and returning with a gun, Tillman confronted Harrison a second time, shooting him three times before fleeing the scene. Tillman managed to evade law enforcement for several months before being apprehended by the U.S. Marshals in November 2021.
During the trial, evidence presented included surveillance footage showing Tillman's girlfriend's Silver Nissan Maxima traveling to and from the apartments during the time of the confrontation and murder. Additionally, cell tower data and call logs implicated Tillman in the crime, showing his movements between Glidden and La Grange and his communication with his daughter and her mother before the murder.
Following the completion of testimony and evidence in the punishment phase of the trial, the jury sentenced Tillman to life in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Monday, April 22, 2024, with eligibility for parole in 30 years. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Joshua Somers and Assistant Attorney General Britni Cooper, with investigation assistance from the Texas Rangers and the La Grange Police Department.
