A Lamar County jury sentenced a 46-year-old man to life in prison Monday after hearing testimony detailing months of abuse, during which he allegedly held his girlfriend captive in motel rooms and strangled her almost daily.
Anthony Dorsett Smith was convicted of two counts of Family Violence Assault by Strangulation with a Previous Conviction following a trial in the 6th District Court, according to First Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Kaminar.
On Monday, a Lamar County jury convicted Anthony Dorsett Smith, 46, of two counts of Family Violence Assault by Strangulation with a Previous Conviction after a full day of evidence and deliberations, according to First Assistant District Attorney Benjamin Kaminar.
“The defendant held his girlfriend captive in motel rooms in Sherman and Paris for months, causing her family to report their concern to the Paris Police Department,” said Kaminar. “Paris PD Officer Jacob McCraw found the pair at the King’s Inn and separated her from Smith for a welfare check, which led her to tell McCraw about daily violence at Smith’s hands.”
The jury saw body camera footage of the interaction, then heard testimony from the victim describing how Smith strangled her almost every day and she had considered suicide as an escape. She also showed photos of her neck with severe bruising in the shape of Smith’s fingers on her throat.
“Detective Andrew Wahlquist’s interview of Smith was a key part of the case,” said Assistant District Attorney Erin Lewis. “Smith admitted to strangling the victim, but claimed she enjoyed it as part of sex. The jury rightly rejected Smith’s claims and held him accountable. His interview with the victim was also impactful. In that interview, the victim described Officer McCraw as the man who saved her.”
In the punishment phase, the jury heard about the defendant’s 30-year career of violent felonies, beginning with an aggravated kidnapping as a juvenile and progressing through a shooting and multiple domestic violence convictions.
“There’s a special place in hell for men who abuse women and children,” Kaminar argued to the jury. “Until then, there’s the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.”
The jury deliberated approximately 30 minutes before sentencing Smith to life in prison on both counts.
“Smith told Detective Wahlquist that he would be sentenced to life when his case was done,” said Lewis. “He knew exactly what he deserved and we’re proud that our community gave him every day of it.”
The case was tried in the 6th District Court before Judge Wes Tidwell. Benjamin Kaminar and Erin Lewis prosecuted the case on behalf of the State. Smith was represented by John Hickman.
