HOUSTON, Texas – A Houston man was sentenced to 35 years in prison this week after he was convicted of murder for shooting a friend after smoking methamphetamine, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“This man was a menace who repeatedly chose to smoke meth and get violent,” Ogg said. “He threw away every second chance he was given and ended up stealing from a friend, leading to an argument resulting in that friend’s murder.”

Sean Strout, 36, was convicted of murder after four days of trial for killing 36-year-old Erron Walker on Oct. 14, 2017. He was sentenced to 35 years by a Harris County jury late Thursday.

Strout, a longtime acquaintance of the victim, went to the victim’s home with another man to socialize. Strout had been there the day before, and the victim believed Strout had stolen some money and a pair of sunglasses. The third man left as they started to argue over the stolen property.

A neighbor heard gunshots later that day and went outside to see the victim running out of his own garage as more shots rang out. Walker was fatally wounded in the altercation.

“Every witness, including the defendant, testified about what a caring and loving person the victim was — he would have given the shirt off his back to help a friend,” said Assistant District Attorney Chadwick Scott, who prosecuted the case with ADA Michael Abner, a chief in the trial bureau. “We’re proud that the jury recognized that Strout has left a trail of victims that he has impacted over the course of his life and decided to hold him accountable.”

Jurors heard that Strout was on probation for a robbery when he was arrested for murder. He had been arrested several times for drug possession and theft. While in jail awaiting trial, he was charged with assault for hitting another inmate with a sock with a weight in it. He also was charged with harassing a public official for throwing urine and feces on a corrections officer.

HCDAO

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