Laneville man accused of beating man to death with ax handle gets reduced sentencing
LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) - A man charged with murder in 2021 pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of aggravated assault on Thursday.
John Houston Brown, 41, of Laneville, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in the 2021 death of David Dean Pitman. Brown had originally been accused of beating the man to death with an ax handle, but the charge was reduced to aggravated assault. Brown received a sentence of 5 years federal confinement with credit for time served on Thursday in Judge Alfonso Charles’ court.
According to a witness in the 2021 incident, Pitman and Brown were fighting in the front yard and she could see Brown hitting Pitman with an object. She said Brown then returned to the truck carrying a wooden ax handle and they left the home.
A second witness, who was staying at the home, said Pitman was then inside the home and banging on the wall between the bathroom and her bedroom and asking her to come help him take off his shirt. The witness said Pitman’s face was covered in blood. She said she helped Pitman pull off several tops. She said she asked Pitman what happened and he said he was beaten by a man in a truck with a steel pipe.
The witness said the next morning, she got up and saw Pitman was asleep on the couch. When she returned that evening, she allegedly found Pitman dead.
Judge Charles said that Brown will not be eligible for parole until he has served half of his sentence.
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