HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A Baytown woman who killed a man on Christmas in 2017 was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Alicia Keator, 40, pleaded guilty to murder last week. She and her boyfriend, 41-year-old Marcus Donnell Gilbert, killed and robbed John Henry Fernandez, whose body wasn't found until more than a week after he was killed.
What happened
Fernandez, 65, was known throughout his Baytown apartment complex as being a "gentle, grandfatherly type," according to the Harris County District Attorney's Office. He got around in a wheelchair but didn't have family living in the area even though he needed help with daily living activities.
About a month before he was killed, Fernandez and Keator came to an agreement in which she would help with his day-to-day needs and he would let her live at the apartment.
While living there, Keator would bring Gilbert over frequently and they developed a plan to rob and kill Fernandez.
It happened on Christmas Day in 2017 but Fernandez's body wasn't found until Jan. 2, 2018. Concerned neighbors told apartment management that they hadn't seen him in days, and when they went to check on him, they found his body locked inside his bedroom. His hands and feet were bound and his mouth was taped shut. He had been suffocated.
Keator and Gilbert also stole his TV, ATM card and phone.
Sentencing
Gilbert, who was also known as Skunk, pleaded guilty to murder earlier this year and got a 60-year prison sentence.
Keator entered her guilty plea without a plea agreement in place. She left her punishment up to the judge.
During her hearing last week, the judge learned that Keator "provided critical evidence against" Gilbert and even agreed to testify against him, even without the promise of leniency, the DA's office said.
The judge noted that her 25-year sentence would have been longer had she not fully cooperated.
"The elderly and disabled people in our community are extremely vulnerable to becoming victims of violence," DA Kim Ogg said. "This couple took advantage of this man’s kindness and deserves to spend decades in prison."
They both have to serve at least half of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
