Beaumont man sentenced to 40 years in brutal death of fellow transient

A Beaumont man was sentenced to 40 years in prison in the brutal death of a fellow transient.

Criminal District Judge John Stevens sentenced Isaac Daniel Platt, 35, for the killing of Johnny Charles Tomlinson, 65, whose decomposing body was found Oct. 29.

Police were dispatched to the area of Fannin Street and Avenue C in Beaumont in reference to a body found wrapped in a tarp and hidden under a stack of tires.

The body, belonging to Tomlinson, had been there long enough to begin decomposing.

Once Platt became a suspect, detectives with the Beaumont Police Department interviewed him. Platt allegedly confessed that he struck Tomlinson with a rod used to lift fire pit lids. He stomped Tomlinson in the head and then wrapped a paracord around his neck and tied it to a wheelchair and left him to die, according to information from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

According to the probable cause affidavit, an eyewitness told police he saw an argument between Platt and Tomlinson, where Platt accused Tomlinson of stealing his drugs.

The eyewitness left and returned that night and went to sleep. When he woke up he noticed Tomlinson was not there but his bicycle was, the document read. Tomlinson was reportedly never without his bicycle because he had difficulty walking due to a medical issue. Later, the eyewitness and Platt got into an argument about the witnesses’ dog allegedly eating Platt’s food. The argument turned physical during which Platt reportedly said, “do you want to end up like Johnny?” while pointing toward the area the body was later found.

Platt was re-interviewed by detectives and reportedly made a statement about the crime and brought detectives to the scene of the crime where the murder weapon and important evidence were located, the document read.

This case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Mike Laird.

Prosecutor Mike Laird stated, “Beaumont police did a fantastic job investigating this case and ultimately getting a confession from Platt.”

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