BEAUMONT, Texas — A Port Arthur man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder and aggravated assault charges, District Attorney Bob Wortham announced Tuesday.
After entering into a plea deal with the state, Judge John B. Stevens, Jr.sentenced DeMarcus Williams, 22, of Port Arthur, to life in prison for the 2019 murder and 20 years for the 2018 aggravated robbery.
Williams was originally indicted for capital murder. As part of the plea agreement, Williams pled guilty to the lesser-included offense of murder, according to Wortham. He must serve at least 30 years of his life sentence before being eligible for parole.
The robbery happened on September 18, 2018, in Beaumont's Tinsel Town Movie Theater parking lot.
The 34-year old victim and her 14-year-old son who witnessed the crime spoke with officers.
It happened as the two were walking to their car. They saw a Kia Sportage SUV with two men inside pull into a parking spot next to their vehicle.
The driver of the Kia, later identified as Williams, quickly got out of the SUV and approached the woman. Officials said he brandished a machete-style knife and violently assaulted the victim as he took her purse.
Williams ran from police after the aggravated robbery, according to a 12News file story.
On June 26, 2019, Williams was indicted on aggravated robbery, evading arrest, and capital murder charges.
On May 24, 2019, Beaumont Police officers found the body of 27-year-old Jose Manuel Valles-Santos in the parking lot of the Days Inn, located at 2155 N 11th Street.
The incident was caught on the security cameras at Days Inn, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police said it happened when Valles-Santos was leaving the Days Inn on his way to work. Williams walked up to the man as he was seated in his truck and started argued with him.
Williams pointed the gun at Valles-Santos, and he got out of the truck. Williams shot him in the head and back before driving off in the man’s truck.
Police spotted Valles-Santos’ stolen truck a short while later at the intersection of St. Helena and Gill. A man matching the suspect's description was seen walking nearby.
Officers said the man, later identified as Williams, had a gun in his hand and began to run when they approached. Police said Williams threw the gun down as he ran.
At the time of the murder, Williams had a warrant out for his arrest for the aggravated robbery, according to a news release.
Williams was also on probation for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and evading arrest with a motor vehicle out of Ennis County, Texas.
