LONGVIEW, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a life sentence without parole for Brandon Harris in connection with the 2020 murder of 24-year-old Valerie Hackett during a revenge shooting in Longview, Texas.
Harris carried out the murder during a retaliation attack against several residents and employees of an apartment complex where he had previously faced charges for assault and the unlawful discharge of a firearm in 2019. Upon entering the management offices, Harris fatally shot Hackett and attempted to shoot the apartment manager who managed to escape. He then proceeded through the grounds, firing at onlookers and attempting to locate and kill those he deemed responsible for his prior arrest. No other injuries were reported, and Harris fled the scene.
Law enforcement officers from the Longview Police Department promptly apprehended Harris after spotting him. Following his arrest, Harris confessed to "shooting a woman multiple times at point-blank range" and expressed remorse only for not successfully harming the other individuals he targeted for revenge. Throughout the trial, Harris declined to participate, and jurors found him guilty of capital murder after deliberating for three hours. He has since been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Office of the Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecutions Division, represented by Assistant Attorneys General Anna Lee McNelis and Wes Mau, handled the state's case in this capital murder prosecution due to a conflict of interest in the Gregg County District Attorney’s Office.
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