Insanity defense withdrawn, man pleads guilty to killing his grandmother
Joel Rakesh Thomas stood accused of brutally stabbing his grandmother to death on June 14, 2021, after a heated argument in her apartment.
After two competency exams, a motion to raise an insanity defense and a psychological evaluation, Thomas accepted his fate by pleading guilty to murder Friday morning.
On Feb 20, defense lawyer Trey Keith, withdrew the motion to file an insanity defense. Instead, Thomas accepted a deal Friday morning from the Taylor County District Attorney's Office.
In exchange for a guilty plea, Thomas will serve 20 years behind bars. The maximum punishment for the crime is life in prison.
When an argument turns deadly
On the night of June 14, 2021, Abilene police officers responded to a distress call from the Camelot Apartments in the 5200 block of Alamo Drive in southwest Abilene.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Judi Powell Jones dead. Upon further investigation, officers determined a struggle led to her death. Detectives located Thomas at the then-operating Whitten Inn in Abilene.
After being Mirandized and waiving his right to remain silent, Thomas told detectives he had asked Jones to take one of his young siblings from the apartment. Jones denied Thomas' request at which point the argument and altercation began.
Thomas then confessed to detectives that he struck Jones with a metal pipe from a microphone stand, according to court documents. Although Thomas denied knowing Jones died, he told detectives Jones bled profusely.
Thomas subsequently packed some clothing and took the young child, leaving the apartment. He told his half-brother about the altercation. He found Jones' body the next day.
'Rather unusual plea offer'
Friday morning in 104th District Court, Judge Jeff Propst began the sentencing hearing by questioning Thomas about his understanding of the court proceedings before he agreed to the state's plea deal.
Thomas' lawyer told the judge that his client had been diagnosed as being on the schizophrenia spectrum, as well as with an unspecified psychotic disorder.
The defense attorney also said that while Thomas "retains some strange beliefs," Keith believed him competent to stand trial after being restored to competency in December last year.
When it was DA Jim Hicks' turn to speak out about the plea deal, he said that while "this is a rather unusual plea offer," Jones' family had agreed to it.
Hicks said there was a single injury in this case. Thomas had hit Jones with a microphone stand, puncturing a single artery.
Hicks said even if Jones had received immediate medical attention, the coroner said that she would not have survived because she had bled out quickly.
Hicks said Thomas had been suffering from mental issues since 10 or 11, and the victim's family felt it best to resolve the situation and accept the state's plea deal for 20 years.
Propst said, "20 years is a lower sentence than we would typically see," but he trusts the attorneys and agreed with the sentence.
However, Propst said Thomas will not have a right to appeal as a result of the plea. He will, though, be eligible for parole after ten years.
Hicks appeared relieved at the end of sentencing as the matter was now resolved.
However, he said the loss of Jones was felt throughout Abilene. She had been a great help to the community for many years.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Insanity defense withdrawn; man pleads guilty to killing grandmother
