Appeals Court Affirms Smith County Murder Conviction
Posted/updated on: February 10, 2017 at 2:45 pm
TYLER – The 12th court of appeals in Tyler has upheld the murder conviction of a Smith County man in a 2015 slaying. James Bales, 33, was found guilty just over a year ago in the slaying of Bias Lott, 61. He was sentenced to life in prison. He had been accused of using a baseball bat to kill Lott. It happened in March of 2015 in the 22000 block of Lakeway Harbor Drive in Bullard. Deputies initially responded to a disturbance call and, upon arrival, found two men involved in an altercation. Officials said one of the men had been attacked and repeatedly hit in the head with a baseball bat.
