TEXARKANA, Texas–A man who fatally stabbed his father on Father’s Day last year and seriously wounded his mother was sentenced to two life sentences Tuesday after pleading guilty to murder and aggravated assault in Bowie County.
Shaun Paxton, 43, attacked his parents with a knife on the morning of June 19, 2022, at the family’s home in the 3600 block of Skyline Blvd. Paxton’s mother called 911 around 1:30 a.m. on Father’s Day to report that her son was stabbing her and her husband. When police arrived, they found 65-year-old Michael Paxton dead from stab wounds to his neck and body. Shaun Paxton’s mother was initially listed in critical condition but survived. She suffered stabbing injuries to her neck and face.
Assistant District Attorney Katie Carter told Txk Today that “there is no doubt that the quick response time and immediate actions on the part of the Texarkana Texas Police Dept., the Texarkana Texas Fire Dept. and LifeNet [emergency medical personnel] played a significant role in saving a life.”
“The dedicated work of these individuals are greatly appreciated,” Carter said. “The brutal attack carried out by this defendant deserved nothing less than the maximum sentence allowed under Texas law for these two offenses. The surviving victim and her family members can now close this chapter of their healing journey.”
Carter said investigators were not able to identify a clear motive for Paxton’s violence against his parents.
In addition to the two life terms for murder and aggravated assault on a family member with serious bodily injury, Paxton was sentenced to 20 months in a state jail for felony theft involving money stolen from a former employer.
Paxton will remain in the Bowie County jail until he is transported to a unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to begin serving his time.
