Boyfriend earns 45 years for assault

Criminal District Attorney Bob Wortham announced Sept. 2 that Byron Keith Sewell, 32, of Jefferson County, was convicted by a jury of aggravated assault – family violence, a first-degree felony, and sentenced to 45 years’ confinement in the Texas Department of Corrections on Sept. 1.

The jury heard evidence in the trial that the defendant attacked and violently stabbed the victim, his ex-girlfriend, over 15 times on the night of October 11, 2019, outside her Beaumont apartment. After the stabbing, Sewell evaded the scene, and the wounded victim fled to the safety of her apartment, where she and her three small children resided. Members of the Beaumont Police Department (BPD) arrived on scene within minutes.

Officers Christopher Price and Aron Porter testified that they had to act quickly to render life-saving first aid to the victim until emergency responders could arrive on scene. The victim was transported to CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Hospital, where she went into surgery. BPD officers tracked Sewell with the assistance of a BPD K-9 Unit for several hours, but the defendant was able to elude capture that night. A warrant was issued, and Sewell was arrested on October 30, 2019 by members of the BPD Warrants Division.

The case was prosecuted by Sonny Eckhart, Jimmy Hamm and Daniel Boyd with the District Attorney’s Office. The case was investigated by Darrell LeBeouf with the Beaumont Police Department. The District Attorney’s Office would like to recognize the inter-agency cooperation among all the law enforcement agencies involved.

“Each of the officers worked tirelessly to ensure the victim’s safety and to guarantee justice on her behalf,” announced Wortham.

Because a deadly weapon was involved, Sewell must serve at least half of his sentence on the aggravated assault – family violence case before being eligible for parole.