On Monday, Claude Siddle Jr. pleaded guilty to the murder of his daughter, according to Assistant District Attorney Benjamin I. Kaminar.
The incident occurred on June 22, 2019 sometime around 7:20 p.m. when Lamar County Deputies responded to a shooting that took place at a residence in the Southwest part of Lamar County.
“Lamar County Deputies arrived and found a 51-year-old female who had been shot and was deceased on scene,” said Sheriff Scott Cass at the time.
Siddle fronted the District Courts on Monday where Kaminar confirmed the charges and sentence.
“The defendant shot his daughter, Penny Siddle, in the chest with a shotgun because she wanted to use the car to drive to Dallas,” Kaminar said.
“The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers responded to the scene immediately and were able to quickly secure a confession from the defendant.”
After accepting the plea agreement, Judge Wes Tidwell sentenced Siddle to 40-years in prison.
“The defendant will serve 20-years before being eligible for parole. He will be 95 years old before being eligible for release,” Kaminar said, “neither this office nor Siddle himself believe he will live long enough to even be considered for parole.”
Lamar County District Attorney Gary Young stated “This plea agreement spares Penny Siddle’s mother the pain of a trial while ensuring that the defendant is removed from our community. We appreciate the quick response by our Sheriff’s Office and the assistance of the Texas Rangers in this case.”
