34-year-old North Texas man sentenced to 50 years after admitting to fatally beating, strangling mother
A 34-year-old Plano man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the fatal beating and strangulation of his mother, the Collin County District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
Robert Lee Timmons Jr. was convicted in the 2024 death of his mother, Rene Timmons.
Grisly discovery
On May 16, 2024, Plano officers responded to a welfare call from a co-worker of Rene after she failed to show up for work that day. When officers arrived at her home, she was found wrapped in a blanket "with obvious signs of having been viciously beaten and no signs of life," according to a news release.
Police said a short distance away from Rene's home, Richardson police officers were investigating a report of a man unlawfully entering an apartment. That suspect was identified as Robert Timmons.
Timmons reportedly told the Richardson officers, "I just killed my mother."
Richardson PD contacted Plano PD, who confirmed officers had discovered Rene's body.
Timmons was then taken into police custody.
Timmons calls himself "an evil person" during confession
After Timmons was transported to the Plano Police Department for the murder of his mother, he was interviewed by a detective.
The news release states that Timmons admitted to attacking his mother after getting angry, with a metal pipe and a piece of wood, before strangling her.
The detective said Timmons told him, "I know I am an evil person, and it looks like I don't regret what I did, but I'm too high to cry."
Timmons reportedly admitted to regularly using methamphetamine.
During the investigation, police learned that Timmons falsely accused his mother of assaulting him the day before the attack. However, Timmons later admitted that he inflicted his injuries, which can be seen in his booking photo, police said.
According to the news release, Timmons was trying to claim self-defense.
A history of violence
According to the Collin County DA's Office, Timmons was living with his mother at the time of the attack.
Timmons' mother allegedly told others that Timmons was violent and she wanted him to move out because of that, his drug use, erratic behavior and his refusal to work, the news release said.
The DA's Office said Timmons had prior arrests for assault, including attacking his sister and a roommate. Authorities said he was prosecuted in both of those cases.
"This was a horrific act of violence against the very person who gave him life. This case is also a grim reminder of how meth can fuel violence and destroy families," Collin County DA Greg Willis said in a statement following Timmons' sentencing trial. "I'm grateful to our prosecutors and to the Plano and Richardson police for holding this dangerous man accountable and protecting our community from him ever again."