When residents here in Texas' 143rd Judicial District asked me to run for district attorney, their reasoning was clear. The local D.A.'s office had been failing for decades. They wanted someone to get things on the right track toward real justice, even if it just meant a single term to start the process.
Less than 18 months in, I've seen how much work there is to do — and how much I can get done, with help from terrific people in this community and fellow members of law enforcement across the state. So I've decided to be here for the long haul, if the voters will have me. I'm formulating a 10-year plan for systemic change.
In the short term, I'm focused on prosecuting all of the most serious crimes I can, of course, like sexual assault — including of minors — as well as domestic violence, corruption and more. But in the long term, we need to counteract the root causes of these and other crimes.
That includes educating people. So I'm beginning a column in the local newspapers in Monahans and Pecos to share some of this information.
Serious Violence With No Visible Injuries
My first piece focuses on a domestic violence strangulation case I recently lost. These cases are notoriously hard to win.
"Non-fatal strangulation is a serious form of gendered violence that is fast becoming an offence in many jurisdictions worldwide," a 2023 study explained. "However, it often leaves little or no externally visible injuries making prosecution challenging."
People don't realize that someone they know might be experiencing it repeatedly. And if they serve on a jury, they tend to expect visible signs in order to convict. By bringing this kind of information out into the open, I'm hoping to help make people more aware and develop a jury pool that's more prepared for the realities of criminal activity.
Myths About Witness Testimony
I've also found that when it comes to various types of crime, many people expect witnesses to provide very similar testimony. They think that makes claims more credible. But often, extreme similarity is suspicious. People naturally see and experience things a bit differently. That's likely to show up in their statements and descriptions. If people say the same thing, it can suggest collusion.
For example, let's say a woman is attacked by a romantic partner, and her two children see it. If she reports it, which is all too rare, she and her children will likely be interviewed. Their versions of the same incident will differ somewhat. But there may be very important overlap — elements that they all saw and recall clearly, bolstering the prosecution's case that it happened. Jurors tend to see the differences as signs of untrustworthiness, and pay less attention to what they all agree on.
Of course, crimes should be challenging to prove. The presumption of innocence is paramount.
End Stigmas, Build Resources
What most of us want is a safe, healthy, happy community. To achieve that, we need to help people understand what to do if they've been a victim. We also need to destigmatize that experience so people feel safe reporting it and don't blame themselves.
We need to provide resources and assistance to help domestic violence victims safely escape their situations and break the cycle. And we need to treat addiction. Drugs are a huge source of crime and violence. All of these problems exist across socio-economic lines, in all parts of our communities. I see them every day.
Tackling these scourges requires both a carrot and a stick. We must punish bad actors while simultaneously providing resources and incentives for people to improve their lives and help each other.
This can be done — and we can lead the way. West Texas has a long, storied history of community. A Texas Historical Commission document titled "Frontier Spirit in Big Sky Country" says, "Wide-open spaces and sparse population meant that folks had to be not only self-reliant but also quick to help out. West Texans proudly maintain a close-to-the-land reputation for independence and neighborliness."
That neighborliness can guide us through these challenges. I invite you to join me in this decade-long effort to build the kind of community we seek.