Jemaine Thomas, a 45-year-old Texas man, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of his 7-year-old adopted son, Troy Koehler. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the sentencing on Wednesday, following Thomas’ guilty plea to the murder charge.
The case began on July 28, 2022, when deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a missing child at a residence on Rosegate Drive. The missing child, later identified as Koehler, was found dead in a washing machine in the house’s garage and utility room. The discovery was made during a search that involved the use of drones and dogs.
According to court records, Thomas initially told investigators that he noticed his son was missing when he woke up for work around 4 a.m. He claimed to have last seen the boy the previous evening between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The boy’s mother, Tiffany Thomas, 38, reportedly stated that she last saw her son when she put him to bed before 9 p.m. the night before.
Tiffany Thomas was also implicated in her son’s death. She pleaded guilty to the charge of injury to a child in February and is currently being held on a $300,000 bond. Her sentencing is scheduled for September 10.
Upon discovering Koehler’s body, deputies attempted to assess if the child was still breathing. However, Jemaine Thomas reportedly pushed a deputy out of the way and pulled the child out of the washing machine. Deputies then began performing CPR on the boy.
An investigator noted that the child’s arms and legs were warm, but his torso was cold. There was blood around the child’s nose and a large bump on his forehead. The boy’s clothing was damp, and there was a smell of urine. His pants were pulled down to his knees, revealing bruises on his upper legs. Authorities believe the washing machine was not turned on while the boy was inside due to the presence of urine and visible blood at the base of the tub.
A forensic examination of Koehler’s body revealed that the boy had suffered from asphyxiation, possible drowning, and both old and new blunt force trauma indicative of inflicted trauma. The findings, along with the sheriff’s office’s preliminary investigation, led to the conclusion that the death was a homicide.
Tiffany Thomas reportedly told investigators that Jemaine Thomas had texted her around 1 a.m. on the day of the incident, informing her that Koehler was missing and the front door was open. She claimed to have locked the doors before leaving for work the previous evening and tried to contact Jemaine Thomas, but he did not respond.
Jemaine Thomas allegedly admitted to punishing the child by hitting him on his buttocks with an open hand a few days before the incident. He also claimed that he had come home from work around 11 p.m. on the night of the incident, called for his son but received no response, and then went to sleep.
A review of the parents’ cellphone records revealed a text thread in which the parents expressed deep contempt for the victim. Tiffany Thomas reportedly told Jemaine Thomas that she had threatened to put Koehler in the stove and turn it on after he admitted to eating her oatmeal cream pies. Jemaine Thomas allegedly told Tiffany Thomas that he needed to get locks because he was going to end up killing Koehler.
Koehler was a foster child who was adopted by the Thomas family in 2019. Texas’ Child Protective Services had previous interactions with the family. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office, in its statement announcing Jemaine Thomas’ sentencing, remembered Koehler as an avid reader who loved to share stories with his classmates.