SAN ANTONIO – It took a jury less than an hour on Monday to sentence a man they convicted of murder to 60 years in prison.
Douglas Skaggs was convicted of the fatal shooting of Tito Roman at a Northwest Side motel in 2021.
According to court testimony, Skaggs and Roman were having a dispute about a vehicle.
During the punishment phase, Skaggs’ attorney told the jury that Skaggs was a good man who was telling the truth about his claim of self-defense.
“I have never ever had the pleasure (until now) of representing someone who has come entirely clean on that witness stand and told their truth,” Defense Attorney Paul Smith said.
Co-defendant Hayley Gibbens, who helped lure Roman to the motel, painted a different image of Skaggs to the jury.
As a witness for the state, he said Skaggs was involved in a lot of illegal activities not only here in Texas but in other states.
“He told me he was on parole in Hawaii for murder and he also told me he had a shootout in Arizona,” Gibbens said.
The jury had the option of sentencing Skaggs anywhere from 5 to 99 years or life in prison.
While the defense hoped for only five years, the jury felt 60 years was appropriate for the crime of murder.
Gibbens has since taken a plea deal in this case and is expected to be sentenced on Wednesday.
Skaggs must serve half of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
