RICHMOND, Texas (Covering Katy) — A 49-year-old Houston man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for strangling his girlfriend nearly to death in 2021, Waller County District Attorney Brian Middleton announced Thursday.
Andre Waller was sentenced by 268th District Court Judge Steve Rogers to the maximum 20 years for felony assault family violence. He took just a few minutes to announce Waller’s punishment.
Victim Strangled Until She Lost Consciousness
According to lead prosecutor Jacquelyn Toman, Waller and his girlfriend were together in their Missouri City home in September 2021 when the defendant became angry and kicked her in the chest, causing her to fall backwards. Over the next few hours, Waller kicked, punched, and dragged his victim across the floor, pausing only when their two-year-old daughter walked into the room. During the assault, the defendant strangled the woman until she lost consciousness. Police witnessed bruising all over the woman’s body.
Defendant Had History of Abusing Women
At trial, the State presented evidence of the defendant’s history of abuse against his girlfriend and a prior woman, and a prior felony drug conviction that resulted in prison time.
“We are grateful to not only our victim, who had the courage to come forward and testify against her abuser, but also to another victim who recounted the horrific abuse she endured from the defendant three decades earlier, Toman said. “With their cooperation, we secured a verdict that will ensure Waller never has another opportunity to harm these women or their families.”…