TEXARKANA, Texas–A 65-year-old man who lives in the Texarkana, Texas, house where a man’s hand was reportedly chopped off with a sword has now been charged in the case along with a 19-year-old who was arrested last week.
Sachet Gilbert, 65, initially told investigators with the Texarkana Texas Police Department that he was asleep when Deroyce Eugene Brown, 19, allegedly used a sword to sever the hand of a 44-year-old man from his body, according to a probable cause affidavit. After speaking with the victim, investigators filed an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge against Gilbert.
Gilbert and Brown are both being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $500,000.
In an interview at the hospital, the man who lost his hand told officers he was in the living room of Gilbert’s residence in the 500 block of Waterman Street when the “youngster showed up,” referring to Brown. The victim reportedly told investigators that when Brown looked at him and picked up “the long sword,” he turned to Gilbert and asked, “G, what’s going on?”
Gilbert allegedly replied, “I’m finna kill you that’s what’s going on, you finna die tonight.”
The man whose hand was severed reportedly told investigators that he thinks Brown and Gilbert thought he had taken items from the house. He told them that when he stood up, Brown “swung back that knife and chopped my whole hand off.”
Brown allegedly struck the victim with the sword three times. According to the affidavit in Brown’s case, the man suffered the loss of his left hand and suffered cuts to his face and shoulder and the loss of or severe damage to his left eye.
Gilbert was allegedly present while the assault took place and allegedly talked to Brown about covering the victim with a blanket, the affidavit said. Gilbert allegedly instructed Brown to clean up the blood in the house and to clean the sword after the victim had fled following the assault.
The injured man was able to run from the house on Waterman and seek help from residents at a house on nearby Lumpkin Street early in the morning hours of July 23. When investigators followed a blood trail from Lumpkin Street to the house on Waterman and knocked on the door, neither Brown nor Gilbert answered.
Police obtained a search warrant for the house and forced entry after neither man responded to requests – which were broadcast using a bullhorn – to come to the door, the affidavit said.
During an interview with investigators at the Bi-State Justice Building in downtown Texarkana, Brown allegedly claimed that the man had tried to rob him and had struck him in the face with a gun, but investigators reportedly observed no injuries to Brown.
When asked what occurred after that, Brown allegedly said, “What else you think happened, I cut his motherfucking hand off.”
When asked what he had used to cut off the victim’s hand, Brown allegedly claimed “the dog” and said the dog was a “killer” although the affidavit does not refer to any animals being located. Brown allegedly “began to laugh out loud and said he didn’t want to talk and confirmed he wanted a lawyer,” the affidavit said.
After investigators left the interview room where Brown was being held in the Bi-State Justice Building in downtown Texarkana, Brown allegedly laid down on the floor in a corner, laughed again, and said aloud that the victim “was screaming like a bitch,” the affidavit said.
Both Gilbert and Brown have been charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault. If convicted of that offense, they face two to 20 years in prison. While an individual may be arrested on one charge, prosecutors or a grand jury may later determine that a different charge is appropriate once an investigation is complete.
The cases have been assigned to 5th District Judge Bill Miller.