Man sentenced to life in prison for 2020 box cutter murder of Brookshire man
WALLER COUNTY, Texas - A Waller County judge sentenced Ronald Brandyburg to life in prison Thursday for the 2020 murder of Brookshire resident Clifford Richard.
Man gets life sentence for 2020 Brookshire murder
What we know:
Judge Gary W. Chaney of the 506th Judicial District Court imposed the sentence on July 9 after hearing arguments from Assistant Criminal District Attorney John Brennan, Criminal Division Chief Richard Magness and Brandyburg's defense attorneys.
Brandyburg was convicted by a Waller County jury on April 18, 2026, in connection with Richard's Jan. 14, 2020, killing. Jurors returned a guilty verdict after just 24 minutes of deliberation following a four-day trial.
Ronald Brandyburg
According to prosecutors, Brandyburg killed Richard by cutting his neck with a box cutter. During the trial, jurors heard testimony from three eyewitnesses, a paramedic who treated Richard, a Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences medical examiner, a former Brookshire police officer, Texas Ranger Jeffrey Wolf and psychiatrist Dr. Michael Arambula.
Prosecutors said the defense attempted to introduce mental health evidence, but the court determined it was not relevant because it did not affect Brandyburg's ability to distinguish right from wrong.
Dig deeper:
During closing arguments at trial, then-Assistant Criminal District Attorney Darian Etienne argued Brandyburg's unemotional demeanor during the attack was not evidence that he lacked awareness of his actions. Instead, prosecutors pointed to testimony that after cutting Richard's neck once, Brandyburg returned and said, "You ain't dead yet?" before cutting his neck a second time.
Richard died while being transported to the hospital.
What they're saying:
In a statement, Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean Whittmore said the sentence brought justice to Richard's family.
"The road to justice is sometimes long, but my office will continue to fight for victims of senseless violence. Waller County Criminal District Attorney's Office is here to seek justice, and we will seek it no matter how long it takes. There is no mitigating what Ronald Brandyburg did. There is nothing that can bring Clifford Richard back. Life in prison was the only acceptable sentence."
The Source: Waller County Criminal District Attorney's Office media release