A Navasota man convicted of a 2017 murder has had his conviction upheld.
According to the First Court of Appeals of Texas, they affirmed the 2018 conviction of 78 year old Robert Thomas Buford Junior of Navasota in the 2017 murder of 74 year old Janet Marie Lester of Navasota.
Buford argued in the appeal that the trial court erred in denying his request to include additional language in the jury charge’s instructions on self-defense. He also argued the trial court erred in excluding Buford’s main witness, Augustine Gutierrez Junior.
He was originally sentenced to 30 years in prison on December 12th 2018 for first degree murder, when Burford shot his common law wife, Lester, at their residence on Rolling Acres Lane in Stoneham. At the time, Buford was under the influence of alcohol, and shot Lester during an argument.
The court issued their mandate December 4th, after Buford did not file a petition for discretionary review.
Buford’s scheduled release date is December 2048, with no eligibility for parole until 2033.