Homeless assailant in Texas gets 15 years for biting off man's nose

(CBS) FORT WORTH - A Tarrant County jury sentenced a homeless man to 15 years in prison for attacking a man and biting his nose off during an argument, CBS DFW reports.

This is the third time Christopher Harris, 37, has been convicted and sentenced for biting someone, according to the station.

During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Harris got into an argument on Jan. 1, 2012 with a fellow homeless man while washing a car. At some point, Harris hit the victim, grabbed him in a bear hug, and bit off half of the victim's nose, according to CBS DFW.

The victim was taken to a local hospital for what medical personnel described as "facial amputation." The man's nose could not be reattached.

After an hour of deliberation, Harris was convicted by a jury of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and sentenced to 15 years.

During the trial, prosecutors cited the defendant's previous convictions.

In 2001, Harris was sentenced to nine months for biting a jailer's finger. Five years later in 2006, he was sentenced to four years in prison for biting off a piece of another man's finger, chewing it up and swallowing it, according to CBS DFW.

"This man exhibited cannibalistic behavior time and time again," Assistant District Attorney Brooke Panuthos said in a release. "Three people are physically scarred because of his utter lack of self control."