BELLVILLE — An Austin County Jury found Darryl Glenn Phillips, 62, guilty of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon before District Judge Jeff Steinhauser on March 7, 2024.
Phillips, who lived near New Ulm, was charged with cutting the throat of a man and severely injuring him in Industry on April 23, 2019.
Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw Phillips commit the crime.
First Assistant District Attorney Brandy Robinson presented the State’s case with District Attorney Travis Koehn, Assistant District Attorney Ben Nystrom, and legal assistant Lisa Tobola.
Defense Attorney Stephen Longoria represented Phillips and argued that the assault occurred in self-defense. The jury deliberated 1 hour and 40 minutes before returning the guilty verdict.
Robinson presented punishment evidence that Phillips was a Habitual Felony Offender under the law. Phillips had committed five felonies since 1987, with most of his convictions coming from Harris County.
Robinson pointed out that Phillips had previously been sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1992 for Delivery of a Controlled Substance. He then committed another felony Possession of a Controlled Substance while on parole in 1997. Robinson also presented evidence that Phillips had committed misdemeanor offenses of Theft, Unlawfully Carrying a Weapon and Possession of Marijuana.
The jury heard additional evidence that Phillips had committed the felony offense of Possession of a Controlled Substance while awaiting trial on his Aggravated Assault charge. The jury deliberated for two hours before giving Phillips the maximum sentence of Life in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The jury also assessed a $10,000 fine.
Phillips will not be eligible for parole consideration until 2053 when he is 92 years old.
“The jurors sent a very clear message with this maximum sentence that our citizens will not tolerate career criminals committing violent crimes in Austin County,” First Assistant District Attorney Robinson stated. “We thank them for their time and for their diligent attention to all the details of this case.”
“This case relied almost entirely on honest citizens who were willing to come forward and testify to make sure that justice was done,” District Attorney Koehn said.
“The victim came within a fraction of an inch of dying from the knife wound,” Koehn added. “Glenn Phillips is a dangerous man who deserves every day of his life sentence.”
