Life sentence given in Clements Unit murder of cellmate, here's what we know
This story has been updated with additional information.
A 38-year-old convicted murderer was handed on Monday a second life sentence without parole for the beating death of his Clements Unit cellmate five years ago, according to a news release from the Texas Special Prosecutors Unit,
Cornelius Harper, who represented himself at his one-day bench trial in the 181st District Court in Potter County, was found guilty by District Judge Titiana Frausto of the April 13, 2020 capital murder of 26-year-old Silvino Nunez.
Harper entered a plea of no contest, according to Potter County court records.
Capital murder typically carries a punishment of life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
However, the Special Prosecutors Unit elected not to pursue the death penalty, which exposed Harper to an automatic life sentence without parole upon his conviction, said Eric Quisenberry who prosecuted the case along with Natalie McKinnon.
The unit is an independent agency that assists district and county attorneys with prosecuting crimes arising out of state prisons.
Meanwhile, in March Harper elected to have Frausto determine his guilt or innocence after she granted his request to represent himself.
Harper was incarcerated at the Clements Unit in Amarillo after he was sentenced in 2014 to life in prison without parole by a Fort Bend jury, who convicted him of capital murder for fatally shooting his cousin and then fatally stabbing his cousin's pregnant girlfriend.
Harper's latest capital murder charge stems from an investigation by the Region C of the Office of the Inspector General that began after Clements officers found Nunez dead in his cell. He had visible injuries that he had been severally assaulted, according to a custodial death report. Investigators found signs of swelling, cuts, bruises and dry blood on his mouth, head, and facial area.
Nunez appeared to have been dead for multiple days, the report states.
Meanwhile, investigators spoke with Harper, who confessed to killing Nunez, who was serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty in 2016 in Harris County to a second-degree felony count of aggravated assault against a family member. An indictment states he stabbed his mother.
Harper confessed to restraining Nunez, strangling him and then stomping on his head, the release states.
During his interview with investigators, which was presented to the court at trial, Harper described Nunez as a "parasite."
He told investigators that he was on a holy mission to purge those he saw as 'defective," the release states.
Quisenberry said Wednesday that Harper told investigators that after killing Nunez on Good Friday, which fell on April 10, 2020, he tricked prison guards into believing Nunez was still alive by taking advantage of COVID-19 protocols that hindered a close inspection of their cell, which was on the very end of the pod.
He said after killing Nunez, Harper admitted to moving Nunez's body around the cell and tied to his limbs a sheet that he would pull to make it appear that he was moving. He also changed his voice to pretend to be Nunez during roll call.
However, Nunez's body was ultimately discovered that Monday, April 13, 2020, when he was scheduled for a doctor's appointment. Harper tried going in his place, but guards stopped him and discovered the murder when they went to check on Nunez.
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'Harper has shown himself as one of the most calculating and violent offenders incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice," Quisenberry said in the release. "His blatant and unmitigated lack of respect for life, both in prison and in the free world, has demonstrated that he can never be allowed to leave confinement without posing a grave danger to the public. He belongs in prison for life without the possibility of release and we are grateful for the Court's sentence."
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Clements Unit inmate receives life sentence in 2020 murder of cellmate
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