Fort Worth man sentenced to 15 years for murder of former friend
A 54-year-old Fort Worth man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of murdering a former friend.
Paul Branton was arrested on April 23, 2022, after confessing to police that he’d fatally shot 30-year-old James Jones the previous night.
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office announced Branton’s sentencing Friday on X.
According to Branton’s arrest warrant affidavit, the two men knew each other, and Branton had even mentored Jones for a time. All that changed a few months before the shooting when Jones sucker punched Branton at a bar during an argument over a girlfriend.
Branton didn’t press charges, but he later told police that Jones continued to treat him disrespectfully after the incident, according to the affidavit.
Branton drove to Jones’ house on Earl Street about 11:45 p.m. on April 22, 2022. When Jones came out to see who was there, Branton shot him several times with a pistol, according to Fort Worth Police.
When officers arrived, they saw Jones’ roommate trying to revive him in the front yard. Jones had several gunshot wounds to his upper torso, the warrant said. The 30-year-old Jones was pronounced dead shortly after first-responders arrived.
Branton left immediately after the shooting, but returned a few hours later to speak to detectives. According to the affidavit, he said he’d been brooding over the punch and Jones’ attitude toward him. He returned to the scene because he didn’t want to “run from what he did.”
