Paul Eugene Umsted, Jr. was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday by Judge Steve Ellis in 35th District Court. Umsted was found guilty by a jury Wednesday of the offense of attempted capital murder with a deadly weapon.
The case stemmed from an early morning hour home invasion on February 28, 2009 at an apartment located on Savoy Drive in Brownwood. The evidence showed that Umsted and John Franklin “Tiger” Walker, Jr. forced their way into the apartment of James Edward Clark where Umsted took an aluminum baseball bat and struck Clark in the head approximately ten to twenty times. The attack was apparently retaliatory and motivated over an earlier altercation between Clark and Walker the day before as well as an argument between Clark and Umsted the day prior.
Photographs of the crime scene showed large quantities of Clark’s blood and blood splatter throughout the apartment. Testimony showed that Clark was robbed and left for dead.
Walker is presently serving a 25 year sentence in prison for another unrelated aggravated assault conviction and has another unrelated aggravated assault charge pending in Brown County.
Clark survived a depressed skull fracture with brain injury which still affects him today. The baseball bat used by Umstad was found by the jury to be a deadly weapon in the attack.
Umstead said that he would appeal the case.
District Attorney Micheal Murray presented the case and was assisted by Assistant District Attorney Tommy Adams.
