Life sentence is upheld for murder at football party

Takyme Devon James, Clarence Willis, and LaPrense Willis
Takyme Devon James, Clarence Willis, and LaPrense Willis

TEXARKANA, Texas - A Texas appellate court affirmed the conviction and life sentence Thursday of a local man found guilty of murder in a shooting that followed a fight at a football watching party.

On appeal, Takyme Devon James, 41, argued the evidence presented at his trial was insufficient to support a murder conviction. The 6th Court of Appeals in Texarkana disagreed and affirmed James' conviction and accompanying life sentence in an opinion issued Thursday.

Witnesses at trial in December last year testified James was belligerent and disruptive after becoming intoxicated at a gathering Dec. 3, 2017, in a private clubhouse on Lake Drive. Tony Sanders hosted the Sunday get-togethers, where people would meet to watch football, play cards, eat and drink.

When Sanders asked James to leave, James pushed Sanders, leading Sanders to deliver a few blows that left James with a black eye and cuts to his face. After Sanders pulled him up off the floor, James left the party and allegedly enlisted the help of brothers LaPrense Willis and Clarence Willis.

James and the brothers went to Sanders' home in Texarkana, Texas. After one of the men kicked in the door, James fired a single shot from a .380 handgun which traveled through a wall and struck Sanders in an artery in his leg, causing him to quickly bleed to death despite the efforts of a police officer first on the scene.

Murder charges are pending against Clarence Willis and LaPrense Willis in the case.

On appeal, James argued that the evidence at trial didn't prove that he meant to injure or kill Sanders.

"Based on James' statements and behavior, the circumstantial evidence, and the location and nature of Sanders' wound, a reasonable jury could infer that James intended to kill or cause seriously bodily injury to Sanders," the opinion states. "The jury could also infer intent from James' use of a deadly weapon."

James is currently being held in the Clements Unit in Amarillo, Texas. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice website shows his parole eligibility date is Dec. 4, 2047.

LaPrense Willis is scheduled for trial Oct. 15 at the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston, Texas. Clarence Willis is set for trial Oct. 29. Both face five to 99 years or life in prison if found guilty.

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