Dayton Booker given 29 years in prison after convicted of Murder in Texas City bar beating After an hour and a half of deliberating, a jury of 6 men and 6 women sentenced Dayton Andre Booker to 29 years in state prison, who they convicted of Murder on Thursday (3/21/2024). Booker was one of five including Taylor Requenes, Christopher Gomez, Ashton Coleman, and Antonio Figueroa, who were charged with Murder in the beating death of Danny Sanders Sr., 65, on May 22, 2021 at Diamond Jim’s in Texas City. The sentencing verdict was returned at 2:15 PM, Friday (3/22/2024) in the 122nd District Court with Judge Jeth Jones, presiding. Lead prosecutor Casey Kirst said that while she asked for 50 years, she respected the jury’s verdict and the fact they gave him 29. One thing Kirst and her counterpart Barbara Agbu hammered at throughout the trial was that nobody can play God and take justice into their own hands. Booker’s Defense Attorney John Powell declined to talk on camera. He told i45NOW off-camera that the 29 year sentence “disturbing” because in the video it is not visible that Booker had any bit of involvement in causing the damages to Danny Sanders that led to his death. During the trial, he called for speculation when it came to inspecting the video as the beating of Sanders was happening. In Friday’s closing arguments for sentencing, the state asked for 50 years, while the defense asked for the minimum, 5 years. Booker’s defense attorney John Powell argued that he would come out of prison a better man after the minimum time served. Prosecutor Casey Kirst asked jurors to make an example out of Booker to the community that you cannot play God. The 2021 Murder came after an accusation that Danny Sanders sexually assaulted one of their friends and family members nearly a decade prior. The men followed Sanders out of Diamond Jim’s, who appeared to be heading to his car to leave, and beat him to death. Sanders was convicted in 2009 for lewd sexual contact with his 14-year-old daughter. Records show he was given time served and then probation as well as required to be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. The accusation that led to the beating was that Sanders was the babysitter of a girl, Elexus May, who accused him of sexually assaulting her when he babysat her at a young age. Sanders was never charged of sexually assaulting her, according to court officials. May 22, 2021 was the first time she had seen Sanders in nearly a decade. As this trial concludes, Booker made for the second man convicted and sentenced in a case where 5 men were charged. Taylor Requenes received 16 years in state prison in October 2023.

Posted by i45NOW Joey at 2024-03-22 19:24:10 UTC