Murderer Sentenced to Life

ANGELINA COUNTY — A man is convicted and sentenced for a 2009 murder. Thomas Hugh Fielder was sentenced to life in prison for the December 2009 murder of Gary Lynn DeFratus, Huntington. After hearing four days of testimony and closing arguments Friday morning, the jury deliberated for two hours, convicting Fielder of murder. The verdict was read around 2 p.m. and the sentence was announced about three and a half hours later.

On the night of Dec. 18, 2009, Fielder returned to DeFratus� home to confront him about hitting on his wife earlier that evening, according to testimony. Fielder, who had been friends with DeFratus, said what happened next escalated into the fight that left DeFratus dead, according to testimony. He maintains he doesn�t remember stabbing DeFratus 24 times or slashing his throat, severing his carotid artery and jugular vein, according to testimony. They were both high on methamphetamine, according to testimony.