Burt Duron Scruggs, 50, of Lufkin was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sexual assault. The jury deliberated for more than three hours before delivering the guilty verdicts, then set the sentence. The jury could not reach a unanimous decision on an aggravated kidnapping charge. The law requires the two sentences to run concurrently.
The trial was held in the 217th District Court before Judge Kristi Skillern. District Attorney Amy Wren prosecuted the case. Carter Meyers was Scruggs' defense attorney.
Wren said Lufkin police responded in June 2020 to a disturbance at the Pinewood Apartments and found a woman with visible injuries. Wren said the woman reported she was beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted by Scruggs before she was able to escape. At trial, the woman testified that she told Scruggs to "just let (her) die." Other women who said they had been abused by Scruggs also testified. Wren said, "The jury's verdict ensures that Scruggs will not have access to any woman for the maximum time allowed by law."