Inset: Joseph Dean Williamson (Brown County Jail). Background: The area in Texas where Williamson killed Taylor Hart (Google Maps).
A 28-year-old man in Texas is going to prison for killing the boyfriend of the woman he was sleeping with after a dispute in which he said, "I'm not going to fight you; I'm going to shoot you."
Judge Mike Smith on Oct. 16 sentenced Joseph Dean Williamson to 55 years in a state correctional facility after a Brown County jury found him guilty of the murder of Taylor David Hart, court records show.
The jury also convicted Williamson of one count of felony evading arrest. Smith imposed a separate 10-year prison sentence for that offense, although it was not immediately clear if the 10-year sentence will be served consecutively or concurrently with the murder sentence.
Prosecutors said the animus between the two men stemmed from Williamson having a sexual relationship with Hart's girlfriend, Brownwood News reported. The two men exchanged phone calls and text messages about settling their differences with a fight.
Williamson was married to another woman while he was reportedly in a sexual relationship with Hart's girlfriend.
The confrontation unfolded on Dec. 27, 2023, near Avenue E and Fifth Street in Brownwood. Williamson was parked in the area waiting for a delivery of methamphetamine from his drug dealer when he spotted Hart and his girlfriend driving past him. Hart stopped the car, approached Williamson's truck and challenged him to fight, Abilene, Texas-based CBS affiliate KTAB reported. Hart also reportedly kicked Williamson's vehicle.
A witness to the confrontation reportedly told investigators that Williamson pointed a gun at Hart and said, "I'm not going to fight you, I'm going to shoot you." Williamson then fired a single shot that struck Hart in the chest.
Prosecutors said the bullet struck several vital organs, including the victim's heart.
Brownwood police responded to a report of the shooting at about 2:48 p.m. Witnesses provided a description of the suspect and reported that he had left in a pickup truck, according to the department's initial release. Hart was taken to the emergency department at Hendrick-Brownwood Medical Center, where a physician pronounced him dead at 3:44 p.m.
At about 2:56 p.m., an Early police officer spotted a pickup matching the description on U.S. Highway 183. The department said a traffic stop led to a brief pursuit before Williamson pulled over and was taken into custody. Prosecutors described the pursuit at trial as reaching speeds above 100 mph.
Prosecutors argued that Williamson gave investigators a series of conflicting stories about the shooting, including claiming that he acted in self-defense, Sweetwater, Texas-based ABC affiliate KTXS reported. The state also said six eyewitnesses testified and that Hart had not used force against Williamson before the shooting.
During the punishment phase, jurors reportedly heard testimony about other alleged incidents in which Williamson threatened people with a firearm. The evidence included allegations that he threatened his wife with a sawed-off shotgun and pointed a pistol at Hart's cousin and a friend, according to Brownwood News.