TERRELL, Texas — An Arlington, Texas, man who police say was stalking his estranged wife, threatened to harm her with a gun, and was later shot by police as he attempted to gain access to her home in Terrell in October 2015 has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.
TERRELL, Texas — An Arlington, Texas, man who police say was stalking his estranged wife, threatened to harm her with a gun, and was later shot by police as he attempted to gain access to her home in Terrell in October 2015 has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.
On October 31, 2015, the Terrell Police Department was attempting to located Mac Arthur Degraffinried after the department was notified Degraffinried was threatening his estranged wife with a gun.
Degraffinied, who was known to police for being armed, dangerous, and combative to police officers, was later located and led police on a brief but high-speed police pursuit which ended in the 300 block of Wall Street at his estranged wife’s house.
At the time of the original incident, Terrell Police Department Captain A.D. Sansom says Degraffinied exited the vehicle with a handgun and attempted to gain access to his estranged wife’s house when a pursuing officer ordered him to stop and drop the weapon.
When he did not comply, Sansom says the officer shot Degraffinied several times “to prevent him from breaking into the residence and gaining access to the woman.”
Degraffinied spent several days at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, under armed guard before being transferred to the Kaufman County Jail where he was held on more than a dozen charges.
In August 2016, Degraffinied stood trial for one of four charges stemming from the incident and was found guilty of evading arrest or detention with a motor vehicle with a finding of a deadly weapon.
Degraffinied opted for sentencing by Kaufman County 86th District Court Judge Casey Blair who, following a two-day sentencing hearing and a lengthy pre-sentencing investigation, sentenced Degraffinied to 45 years in prison.
During sentencing, the state introduced prior convictions for indecency with a child and aggravated assault as well as testimony from previous victims.
Degraffinied was also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and stalking related to the October 2015 incident in Terrell.
In addition to the Kaufman County charges, Degraffinied also faces two charges for assault causes bodily injury to family or household member, two or more within 12 months; two charges for sexual assault; and another charge for hindering apprehension or prosecution in Tarrant County; and another assault causes bodily injury to a family member in Arlington.
