The victim's grandmother said in her victim impact statement that shortly after her grandson's murder, her daughter also passed away from a stroke that she believes was caused by grief, stress and anxiety she experienced in the wake of her son's death.
A Texas man who police say shot two men within hours of one another, and maybe a third, after luring his alleged victims in by using the popular GBT dating app Grindr will serve 40 years after agreeing to a plea deal.
Damarion Degrate entered a guilty plea to charges of murder and aggravated assault on Tuesday in a Waco courthouse, receiving a sentence of 40 and 20 years respectively for those offenses.
The judge ruled that the sentences could be served concurrently, meaning Degrate could be eligible for parole in 20 years.
Degrate was just 17 when he allegedly shot the two men in the early morning hours of Aug. 17.
The Waco Police Department traced the three shootings back to Degrate after detectives learned that he had been communicating with the men on Grindr.
Degrate shot the first victim at point-blank range as he sat in the driver's seat of his car, according to the arrest affidavit.
That man was able to drive away and seek help at a nearby gas station, says the affidavit, and on Tuesday he appeared in court to deliver a victim impact statement.
Police discovered the second victim, Jonathan Breeding, less than two hours later, according to the arrest affidavit. He had suffered a serious gunshot wound and was slumped over in the driver's seat of his car, which had crashed into a telephone pole.
Breeding was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
In court on Tuesday, Breeding's grandmother Sylvia Glynn said that Degrate's actions had destroyed her family, reports the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Glynn said in her victim impact statement that shortly after her grandson's murder, her daughter also passed away from a stroke that she believes was caused by the grief, stress and anxiety she experienced in the wake of her son's death.
"You not only took Jonathan's life, you took his mother's life as well," Glynn said through tears. "You not only took one life, you took two lives from me."
Degrate faced no charges for a third shooting, despite police considering him the primary suspect in that case.
"The loss felt by the family of Mr. Breeding, and the pain that continues to be felt by [the first shooting victim] was clear," said McLennan County Assistant District Attorney Will Hix after Degrate entered his plea on Tuesday. "We are grateful that this chapter was closed without the need for a trial that would have led to additional trauma for everyone involved, and that the defendant was willing to accept responsibility for his decisions."
Jail records show that Degrate remains at the McLennan County Jail, where he had been ever since his initial arrest back in 2020.
Degrate's attorney Abel Reyna did not respond to a request for comment.
