A Tarrant County judge yesterday sentenced 65-year-old Raymond Miller to 35 years in prison after a jury convicted him of choking his girlfriend in October 2021. Prosecutors argued that Miller is a habitual offender and urged the court to impose a life sentence because of his criminal history. According to the District Attorney’s Office, the punishment wraps up a case that began with a violent domestic attack more than four years ago.
According to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, a jury found Miller guilty of assault by impeding breath or circulation, the domestic-violence strangulation charge prosecutors presented, and a judge imposed a 35-year prison term. The DA’s post noted that prosecutors had sought life because Miller was prosecuted as a habitual offender.
Legal context and sentencing
Under Texas law, assault that impedes another person’s breathing or circulation is a specific family-violence offense and is generally classified as a third-degree felony, which typically carries a 2-to-10 year punishment range. Texas habitual-offender provisions allow that range to be enhanced when prior felonies are proven, so a defendant with qualifying priors can face a decades-long term or life. See Texas Penal Code §22.01 and Texas Penal Code §12.42 for the statutes prosecutors cited.
Case details and DA statement
The DA’s office and court transcripts describe the October 2021 incident as an attack in which Miller allegedly “strangled” his girlfriend, and the jury returned a guilty verdict on the impeding-breath count. The office named Assistant District Attorneys Jaimie Jernigan and Morgan Blair as the prosecutors on the case and credited Investigator Kristina Gonzalez and Victim Coordinator Clara Salvatierra for their work. The post also thanked the Fort Worth Police Department for its role in the investigation and stated that Miller had a prior homicide conviction, which prosecutors said factored into their request for a life sentence. According to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, the judge who imposed the sentence was not identified in the office’s social media update.
What this means for victims and the community
Tarrant County prosecutors have increasingly treated strangulation and choking in domestic settings as high-priority charges, arguing that those acts carry a high risk of lethal escalation and warrant serious prison terms when supported by evidence and a significant criminal history. Local reporting has regularly noted the DA’s practice of publicly thanking Fort Worth investigators and victim-services staff, including Investigator Kristina Gonzalez and Victim Coordinator Clara Salvatierra, after verdicts in high-profile trials. For many residents, the Miller sentence highlights how prior convictions can substantially increase punishment in Texas domestic-violence prosecutions…