A Brown County jury convicted Joseph Dean Williamson of murdering Taylor Hart after a short deliberation, and Judge Mike Smith sentenced Williamson to 55 years in prison on Friday, October 16, 2026, according to District Attorney Micheal Murray.
The case involved a fatal shooting in Brownwood on December 27, 2023. Prosecutors said Williamson shot Hart in the chest with a .40-caliber handgun after the two men had been in conflict for months. Hart died a short time later at Hendrick Medical Center in Brownwood.
What prosecutors presented at trial
Evidence showed Williamson and Hart were at odds over Williamson’s repeated relationship with Hart’s girlfriend. The two men exchanged messages and phone calls about settling their differences through a fistfight. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Williamson had previously pointed a pistol at Hart’s cousin and a friend.
On the day of the shooting, Williamson was sitting in a parked vehicle near the intersection of Avenue E and Fifth Street while waiting for a drug dealer to deliver methamphetamine, according to the evidence described by the District Attorney’s Office. Hart and his girlfriend drove by, and Hart noticed Williamson in the parked vehicle.
Hart pulled up next to Williamson’s truck, got out and approached him. Prosecutors said Hart invited Williamson to step out and fight, then kicked the vehicle to provoke him to exit. A witness testified that Williamson pointed the firearm at Hart and said, “I’m not going to fight you, I’m going to shoot you.” Williamson then fired one bullet into Hart’s chest. The bullet struck multiple vital organs, including the heart, and Hart collapsed in the roadway.
The prosecution said Hart had not used force against Williamson before the shooting. Williamson later gave Detective Corporal Spohn multiple conflicting accounts about why he believed the shooting was justified as self-defense. Lead investigator Detective Peyton Donahoo examined a large amount of digital forensic evidence that prosecutors said showed the nature of the conflict and Williamson’s role in provoking the situation over a six-month period. Six eyewitnesses testified during the murder trial.
Fleeing the scene and additional sentence
Williamson fled immediately after the shooting. Brownwood patrol officers broadcast information about the suspect to law enforcement agencies, and Taylor Fletcher, an Early Police Department officer, located Williamson turning from the access road onto U.S. 183 south.
Williamson reportedly drove at speeds exceeding 100 mph while trying to evade law enforcement. Officers ultimately took him into custody at his grandmother’s house. The jury also convicted him of felony evading arrest, and Judge Smith assessed a 10-year sentence for that offense.
During the punishment phase, prosecutors presented evidence that Williamson had been violent and had threatened others with a firearm on multiple occasions, including threatening his wife with a sawed-off shotgun. Witnesses also described the effect of Hart’s death on his family and friends.
The District Attorney’s Office credited the Brownwood Police Department’s patrol and criminal investigation divisions, the Early Police Department and the Brown County Sheriff’s Office for their work on the case. The state was represented by Assistant District Attorney Elisha Bird.
Murray said he appreciated the jury’s verdict, stating that “the rule of law will prevail in cases like this one and the value of human life will not be regarded lightly.”