UPSHUR COUNTY, Texas — On Thursday, an Upshur County jury has given a Life sentence to a man with 23 prior criminal convictions, including multiple felonies.
A jury of seven men and five women have sentenced Joshua David Verhoef, 38, to Life in prison after he assaulted his girlfriend while on methamphetamines on August 20, 2020.
Verhoef had struck and strangled the victim multiple times. The victim managed to flee to a neighbor's home where a call was placed to 911. Police attempted to speak to Verhoef before the arrest, but Verhoef had locked himself inside his home.
After over an hour of attempting to get Verhoef to comply, police knocked the glass out of the back door and took Verhoef into custody.
Verhoef was on parole at the time of the attack. He and his partner, a friend from grade school, had recently reconnected, but police reports show he had assaulted the victim several times previously.
He has previously been convicted of Assault/Family Violence against his mother and had been arrested in Gregg County for Possession of Methamphetamines a week prior to this offense.
Due to his criminal background and previous convictions, the state filed to increase his punishment range to 25 years to Life. The jury took 20 minutes to determine guilt, and another 30 to assess the Life sentence.
The case was presided over by Judge Dean Fowler. The state was represented by Assistant District Attorneys Catherine McQueen and Michael F. Northcutt, Jr.
