Federal Murder Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016–2025
The Southern District of Texas sentenced 42 people for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 42 received a prison term. The median was 201 months (16.8 years), and 6 received a life sentence. Another 11 people were convicted after a trial.
· Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › Federal Prosecution Analysis › Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016– › Murder: Southern District of Texas
In brief: The Southern District of Texas sentenced 42 people for murder offenses in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and all 42 received a prison term. The median was 201 months (16.8 years), and 6 received a life sentence. Another 11 people were convicted after a trial.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 42 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
Trial Convictions and Guilty Pleas
Of the 42 people, 31 (74%) pleaded guilty, and 11 were convicted after a trial. In all districts, 78% of people in this offense type pleaded guilty. For all offenses in the Southern District of Texas, guilty pleas were more than 99%.
The median prison term after a guilty plea was 180 months. After a trial, it was 352 months, based on 11 people. Among the guilty pleas, 90% had a written plea agreement and 10% were straight pleas. The records do not show how cases in the plea and trial groups differed.
How Long the Prison Terms Were
All 42 people (100%) received a prison term, and none received probation only. The median was 201 months. A quarter received 360 months or more, and a quarter received 120 months or less. A life sentence was imposed on 6 people.
In all 94 districts, 3,754 people were sentenced for murder offenses, and the median prison term was 240 months. This district's median was lower. The median for all offenses here was 13 months.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 | 270 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2018 | 2 | 267 months | 2 of 2 |
| 2019 | 9 | 460 months | 5 of 9 |
| 2022 | 4 | 150 months | 4 of 4 |
| 2023 | 3 | 360 months | 3 of 3 |
| 2024 | 17 | 180 months | 65% |
| 2025 | 3 | 180 months | 2 of 3 |
Murder Guidelines Used
Murder is the Commission's offense type, and it includes more than first degree murder. The primary guideline was §2A1.1 (First Degree Murder) for 28 people and §2A1.5 (Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder) for 8.
Another 5 had §2A1.2 (Second Degree Murder), and 1 had §2X3.1 (Accessory After the Fact). These cases were less than 1% of the 71,026 people sentenced in the district.
Mandatory Minimums
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 20 of the 42 people with that information recorded (48%). The records do not show which statute set each minimum.
The Guideline Range
Of 41 people with this information, 21 (51%) were sentenced within the guideline range. Below the range at the government's request were 18 (44%), and below it without a request were 2 (5%). None was above the range.
In all districts, 39% of murder sentences were within the range. For all offenses in this district, 58% were.
After Prison, and Other Penalties
Supervised release after prison was ordered for 40 people (95%), with a median term of 54 months. A fine was ordered for 1 (2%), and restitution for 9 (21%).
In criminal history, 40% were in the lowest category and 5% were in the highest. Court-martial records have no criminal history field.
Small Yearly Groups and Missing Facts
Fiscal years 2016 to 2019 had 15 people, and fiscal years 2020 to 2025 had 27. The table lists only years with cases, and fiscal year 2024 had 17 of the 42 people. Yearly medians range from 150 months to 460 months, and groups this small do not show a trend.
The data covers only people who were convicted and sentenced. It leaves out acquittals, dismissals, and uncharged cases, and it gives no facts about any case.
How We Counted
Everyone sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of Texas (U.S. Sentencing Commission district label "Texas South") in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 whose offense type was "Murder" (42). Offense types are the Commission's OFFGUIDE categories.
Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.
What to Keep in Mind
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Federal supervised release. Most federal prison sentences are followed by a term of supervised release that the judge sets as part of the sentence. A person who violates it can be sent back to prison. A court-martial cannot sentence anyone to supervision after release. Military parole and mandatory supervised release are decided later by a board, not by the judge at trial.
Who decides the sentence, and under what rules. Federal judges sentence every federal case. They must calculate the Sentencing Guidelines range, which is advisory, and must impose any mandatory minimum the statute requires unless an exception applies. In courts-martial, the accused could choose sentencing by members until the rules changed. For cases in which every guilty finding is for an offense committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge sentences alone, within sentencing parameters. Courts-martial tried in 2024 and later include both old-rule and new-rule cases, and the data cannot tell them apart.
Time periods. Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.
How life sentences and "time served" are counted. In the federal numbers, a life sentence is counted as 470 months, and any other sentence longer than 470 months is counted as just under 470 months. A sentence of "time served" is counted as one day (0.03 months). Averages are affected by these rules; medians much less.
Mandatory minimum sentences. Many federal statutes on drugs, images of child exploitation, child sex abuse, and firearms carry mandatory minimum prison terms. The UCMJ has mandatory minimums only for a few offenses (a dishonorable discharge or dismissal for rape and sexual assault, and life for premeditated murder). Federal sentences for these offenses are partly set by Congress, not by the judge.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (overview)
- Federal Immigration Offense Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Drug Trafficking Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Firearms Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- Federal Fraud, Theft, and Embezzlement Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016–2025 (same district, other offense type)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (source)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.