2022-03-18
Man sentenced to life in prison for 2020 murder in Potter County
POTTER COUNTY, Texas (KFDA) - The jury has sentenced a man to life in prison for murder after shooting a man on March 2020 in Potter County.
According to the release, on March 17, after a 4-day trial, a jury convicted, Lopphay Gum Pratommarath, for the murder of Husin Bi that occurred on March 12, 2020 in Potter County.
During March, 2020 officers got a tip regarding a homicide which took place at 927 Columbine on an illegal gaming establishment.
Once there, officers located blood outside the home and entered finding more blood evidence and signs that the house had been cleaned up.
CSI was called to the house and recovered several items of evidence.
Official found no victim.
During the same afternoon, Potter County officials responded to a car fire and a body was located bound in the trunk.
A few days later, a witness called Special Crimes’ Detectives and left a message stating that they were present during the shooting.
According to their statement, there was an argument that lead up to the shooting over some money that had been stolen and the victim was shot in the head.
The witness also provided photographs they had taken of the victim after he’d been dragged into the kitchen by Pratommarath.
Three other witnesses were located that were present during the shooting and confirmed that two individuals had confronted Husin Bi about him possibly stealing money that belonged to them; the defendant, Lopphay Gum Pratommarath was present.
During the argument Pratommarath pulled out a revolver and shot the victim one time in the head.
The defendant then drug the body from the room to the kitchen.
The body was found that afternoon in the trunk of the defendant’s car badly burnt.
DNA recovered from the scene showed Bi’s blood being found and his and the Pratommarath’s DNA on items that appeared consistent with the moving of the body and the cleaning of the house.
DNA tests were also done to confirm that the burnt body found in the trunk of the defendant’s car was Husin Bi.
The 47th District Attorney’s Office showed that the defendant had a previous felony conviction for Burglary of Habitation.
After listening to all of the evidence a Potter County jury found Lopphay Gum Pratommarath guilty of First Degree Murder and after 26 minutes of deliberation assessed a punishment of Life in prison.
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