Decatur resident Austin Acree was sentenced to 42 years in prison Wednesday for the 2023 murder of 19-year-old Matthew Brown.
AUSTIN JAMES ACREE
Acree, 20, was sentenced by 271st District Judge Brock Smith at a sentencing hearing nearly two weeks after Acree was found guilty of murder in the case by a Wise County jury May 30. He faced up to life in prison for the first degree felony offense.
During the jury phase of the trial, evidence was presented that Acree and his friend Aiden Theberge took Brown to Deep Creek where they both shot him in the head and buried him in a shallow grave.
Following the sentence Thursday, Brown’s mother, Michelle Brown, gave a victim impact statement where she described celebrating her third mother’s day at her son’s grave last month. She said the impact of the death is nearly impossible to put into words.
“I feel like I not only lost Matthew but myself that day,” she said through tears.
Brown’s older brother, Garrett, said his brother had an incredible heart and would have made an amazing father one day.
“You didn’t just take his life, you destroyed everything that could have been,” he said to Acree during victim impact statements.
Acree’s attorney, David Pearson, presented evidence that his client had been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as a child and has in more recent years been diagnosed with diabetes and epilepsy. He also argued that Acree deserved mercy due to his young age at the time the crime was committed.
Prosecutors with the Wise County District Attorney’s Office said during their closing arguments that Acree deserved a life sentence, despite his young age. District Attorney James Stainton pointed out that the crime took place two months before Acree turned 18, and he argued that the defendant had not shown any remorse for his actions.
“Matthew Brown got a life sentence in a way that was unimaginable to anyone with any decency or soul,” Stainton said during closing arguments. “The person who he loved like a brother, when he needed help the most, his choice was to put him down, to put another one in him. That cannot be tolerated.”
After delivering the 42-year sentence, Smith addressed families from both sides who had filled the courtroom.
“I hope all family members can find peace, you deserve to find peace,” the judge said. “You will never have all the understanding. These things are impossible to understand.”
At Wednesday’s hearing, evidence was presented that Acree, Theberge and Justin Carl, who are all charged with murder in the case, had been involved in a drive-by shooting in Big Spring with the same gun in November of 2022.
Video of Texas Ranger Job Espinoza’s in-custody interview with Acree was shown where Acree said Carl was upset that his “babby momma” had cheated on him with his brother and sent Acree and Theberge to his brother’s house where Theberge shot Carl’s brother while Acree drove the vehicle.
Text messages were also introduced into evidence showing conversations between Acree and Theberge in the days following the shooting death of Brown in which they discuss the .32 Colt pistol that was shown to be the murder weapon in the case and rap lyrics written by Acree about finding who killed Brown and killing that person.
Acree will have to serve at least half of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole.
Theberge and Carl are still awaiting trial in the case.
Loading Comments