WINNSBORO, Texas — A 74-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday for stabbing another man to death over a scooter battery at a Wood County business in 2020.
Billy Dwaine Cotten, of Winnsboro, was found guilty of murder on Thursday following a jury trial in connection with the death of Steven Wayne Lancaster on May 13, 2020.
According to the Wood County District Attorney's Office, the jury took less than three hours to find Cotten guilty. After his conviction, Cotten waived his right to an appeal and agreed to a 15-year sentence.
On May 13, 2020, Winnsboro police officers responded to a stabbing at Bob’s Garage on East Carnegie Street, where they found Lancaster laying on the ground with multiple stab wounds. Cotten, who was covered in Lancaster's blood, told law enforcement that Lancaster kicked him and he stabbed him. Lancaster was taken to the hospital, where he later died, the DA's Office said.
The autopsy revealed he had suffered 14 to 15 stab wounds. In an interview with police, Cotten said he and Lancaster were “arguing over a scooter battery” and got into a verbal fight before things became physical, the news release said.
Cotten claimed he feared for his life and he "had to kill (Lancaster) or (Lancaster would) stomp me in the ground.” Security video showed Lancaster walking toward an exit and away from Cotten when Cotten followed Lancaster with a knife in his right hand. Cotten admitted that he was "angry" and he intended to stab Lancaster, the DA's Office said.
Lancaster’s wife said at the trial that a few weeks before the incident Cotten told her that if he and Lancaster got into another argument, he would stab Lancaster.
“I am very pleased with the jury’s verdict in this case. The jury saw through the defendant’s bogus claim that he acted in self-defense and rightfully convicted him of murder. There was absolutely no reason for Steven Lancaster to die on May 13, 2020. The defendant murdered him because he was angry. It was a senseless tragedy and I am thankful that the jury held this Defendant accountable for his actions," Wood County Criminal District Attorney Angela Albers said.
Cotten was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and costs of court.
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