WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL ) — Almost a decade after Dominic Thrasher was shot and killed in Wichita Falls, Justin Michael Love ‘s second appeal of his conviction and life sentence for the murder has been decided.

On Thursday, August 29, 2024, the Second Court of Appeals affirmed Love’s second conviction and subsequent life sentence in his second trial for Thrasher’s murder in 2015.

Love was initially convicted of Thrasher’s murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison in December 2018. However, the first conviction was overturned on appeals , leading to a retrial of the case in August 2022 .

After the retrial concluded, Love’s initial request for a new trial was denied by Judge Bob Brotherton, who presided over both trials in the 30th District Court. an appeal was filed with the Second Court of Appeals, which was submitted in December 2023.

In a Facebook post on Thursday afternoon , John Gillespie, Wichita County’s District Attorney, praised the work of his staff and the members of the Wichita Falls Police Department on Love’s case and subsequent appeal.

“He got 50 [years] the first time and LIFE the second,” Gillespie said in the Facebook post. “So he appealed himself into a higher sentence.”

Love’s initial appeal alleged the trial court committed a multitude of errors during his trial:

• Overruling Love’s objection to the application paragraph of the jury charge
• Failing to corroborate the testimony of Whitney O’Brien, Love’s accomplice
• Allowing improper cross-examination of a defense witness
• Denying Love’s motion to reform the verdict and corresponding sentence to 50 years in prison
• Admitting text messages between Love and his ex-wife into evidence during the punishment phase of the trial

In the memorandum opinion released by the justices of the Second Court of Appeals, all five arguments made by Love in his appeal were rejected and the trial court’s decision was affirmed and upheld.

Now that the trial court’s decision is affirmed, Love can petition the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for a discretionary review of the appeal. As of the publication of this story, a petition for discretionary review has not been filed by attorneys for Love.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available.

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