Spectrum found liable for the murder of an 83 yr old woman. To pay $7.3 billion to family

quote:

---

IRVING, Texas (TND) — A cable television provider has been ordered by a jury to pay the family of a murdered 83-year-old woman $7.3 billion in damages after one of its off-duty employees stabbed her to death in her own home.

Roy Holden Jr., who worked for Charter Communications subsidiary Spectrum Cable, admitted to killing Betty Thomas in her Irving, Texas home in December 2019, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Holden Jr., a cable installer for Spectrum, had reportedly made a service call to Thomas's home one day and, on the next day, came back to the woman's home and killed her. Holden Jr. had returned to Thomas's home in his uniform while driving his company vehicle, the Star-Telegram reports. He stabbed Thomas to death and left her to die in front of her television while he robbed her.

Holden Jr. pleaded guilty to the murder in 2021, according to the Star-Telegram, and was sentenced to life in prison.

Afterward, lawyers for Thomas's family accused Spectrum of failing to properly vet their employee, according to KDFW News, adding the company was aware of Holden Jr.'s "troubling behavior" before the murder.

In June, a Dallas County jury reportedly found Spectrum liable for the murder of the 83-year-old woman and ordered the company to pay $375 million in compensatory damages. Now, the jury's verdict on Tuesday has the company paying an additional $7 billion in punitive damages, bringing the total to $7.3 billion.

---

quote:

---

This was a shocking breach of faith by a company that sends workers inside millions of homes every year,” Thomas's family's trial lawyer Chris Hamilton of Dallas-based Hamilton Wingoreportedly said in a Tuesday news release. “The jury in this case was thoughtful and attentive to the evidence. This verdict justly reflects the extensive evidence regarding the nature of the harm caused by Charter Spectrum’s gross negligence and reckless misconduct. For the safety of the American public, we can only hope that Charter Spectrum and its shareholders are listening."

---

quote:

---

Officials with Charter Communications and Spectrum Cable have said they plan to appeal the verdict, according to the Star-Telegram.

Our hearts go out to Mrs. Thomas’ family in the wake of this senseless and tragic crime,” the cable company reportedly said in a release Tuesday. “The responsibility for this horrible act rests solely with Mr. Holden, who was not on duty, and we are grateful he is in prison for life. While we respect the jury and the justice system, we strongly disagree with the verdict."
The jury reportedly came to a verdict after 11 days of testimony, finding Spectrum failed in its pre-employee screening, hiring, and supervision practices along with failing to address warning signs in employees.

---