BALLINGER, TX — A jury in Runnels County convicted the man who killed a Miles man over the murderers distaste of a $600 paint job the victim performed on his trailer.
On Thursday, September 26, a Runnels County Jury found the defendant guilty of three charges. A punishment hearing was held Friday. Based upon the facts of the case, as well as the defendant’s criminal history, 119th District Attorney John Best recommended Life in Prison. The Runnels County Jury agreed and sentenced the defendant to Life in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice on each Count.
See photos from the day the body was discovered and identified here.
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Above: The murder scene in the 800 block of Elm St. in Miles on Sept 21, 2017. (LIVE! Photo/John Basquez)
Tommy Peiser was charged and convicted Friday of Murder, 1st degree felony (5-99 years confinement, or Life + up to $10,000 fine); Tampering with a Corpse, 2nd degree felony (2-20 years confinement + up to $10,000 fine); Tampering with Evidence, 3rd degree felony (2-10 years confinement + up to a $10,000 fine); the State enhanced the defendant’s punishment on each charge to 25-99, life based upon the defendant’s two prior felony convictions for Aggravated Assault and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.
On September 21, 2017, the Miles Police Department responded to the residence of Thomas (Tommy) and Tamatha (Tammy) Peiser regarding a possible homicide.
It was reported that Tommy Peiser had shot and killed Tony Romo.
At the Peiser residence, Miles Police Chief Quinten Watkins located Thomas Peiser inside. After advising Thomas Peiser of the 9-1-1 call, Peiser responded, “You know I’m not the kind of guy that would kill someone.”
Upon searching the property, Watkins located Antonio (Tony) Romo’s truck behind the Peiser house with a large amount of blood in the front passenger seat area. When Peiser was subsequently detained inside his kitchen, Chief Watkins observed more blood on the floor there.
A search began for Tony Romo.
Later that afternoon, a volunteer firefighter from Miles located Romo’s body in a field north of Miles at the intersection of CR 392 and FM 2333 in Runnels County.
Earlier in the afternoon, a witness reported hearing what sounded like a gunshot coming from the direction of the Peiser residence. Other witnesses reported that later in the afternoon, they had seen Tommy Peiser driving Antonio Romo’s pickup truck north of town, but did not see Romo in the truck.
Texas Ranger Jason Shea investigated the case. During a search of Peiser’s house, Shea took samples of the blood located in the Peiser kitchen. Shea located and seized a pair of shorts and boxer shorts which appeared to have blood on them. Shea also seized the boots Peiser wore to jail that appeared to have blood on them as well.
During the search, Shea also located a box of .38 caliber bullets in Peiser’s bedroom.
Subsequent DNA testing revealed that the blood in the kitchen, on the shorts, on the boxer shorts, and on both of Peiser’s boots belonged to Tony Romo. After Peiser’s arrest, Tammy Peiser told Chief Watkins that she had observed that Tommy Peiser had beaten Romo and held a .38 caliber pistol to his head because Tommy was mad at Tony over a $600 paint job that Tommy had performed on a used trailer.
The medical examiner testified that Tony’s death had been caused by a firearm that had been pressed against Tony Romo’s right temple when it was fired. The murder weapon was never found.
"Sentencing Thomas Peiser to Life in Prison will not bring Tony Romo back to his wife, his daughter, his grandchildren, or his friends. However, I am hopeful that this sentence will provide those who loved and cared for Tony Romo with some sense of closure and justice for this senseless murder," Best said following the sentencing. "The 119th District Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively prosecute violent criminals to the full extent of the law. We appreciate the hard work and attentiveness of the Runnels County Jury that heard the evidence in this case and set the appropriate punishment for the heinous nature of the crime committed by Thomas Peiser. We also appreciate the work of Texas Ranger Jason Shea, the Miles Police Department and the Runnels County Sheriff’s Office in this case."
The trial was in Judge Ben Woodward's district court in Runnels County. Best led the prosecution and was assisted by Assistant 119th District Attorney Stuart Holden. The defense attorney was Andrew Graves.
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