NEW BOSTON, Texas - A Bowie County jury sentenced a woman to 25 years in prison Friday evening for murder in the 2018 shooting death of a man she once dated.
Tonya Ruth Barnett, 42, claimed she acted in self-defense when she shot Cecil "C.J." Ellis, 35, under questioning from Assistant Public Defender Sylvia Delgado during the guilt/innocence phase of trial. Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter argued that the physical evidence simply doesn't support Barnett's shifting account of what transpired in the bedroom of her Texarkana, Texas, mobile home in the predawn hours of May 24, 2018.
"What began as the appearance of a damsel in distress was actually a murder," Carter argued Friday afternoon in closing arguments.
Barnett testified that Ellis came to her home and aggressively pushed his way into her living room before choking her. She claimed she grabbed her handgun and that she and Ellis fought over the gun and her cell phone when the weapon fired.
Carter pointed out that Ellis had no marks on his hands or face as would be expected if he'd fought with a woman with long fingernails.
"Not a scratch on him," Carter said as she showed a photo taken by law enforcement of Ellis' hands after his death.
Carter also noted that Ellis was shot in the back of the head from a distance of more than three feet. A medical examiner testified that the wound showed no signs of stipling, or powder burns, as would be expected from a close-range shot.
Carter theorized that Barnett was upset because Ellis was dating other women and because he planned to attend a family gathering out of town with the mother of his child.
Barnett sent Ellis a text message the night before the shooting inviting him to her home, "I love you. Come hold me tonight."
After the jury found Barnett guilty, the trial entered the punishment phase. Fifth District Judge Bill Miller had to put the jury in a short recess after Barnett's daughter claimed she was experiencing a medical crisis in the courtroom and appeared to have a seizure on the witness stand.
The jury returned with their sentencing verdict shortly before 10 p.m. Friday night.
The victim's sister said Friday that the resolution of Barnett's case will allow their large extended family, many of whom packed the seats of the courtroom throughout the trial, to move forward.
"Now we can grieve," Stephanie Ellis said.