A McLennan County jury sentenced Demitrius Shea Lacour, 40, to eight and a half years in prison after finding he injured his 6-year-old son by striking him with a belt at a Waco home, a beating that began because the boy forgot a take-home school folder.
Jurors in the 19th State District Court convicted Lacour of injury to a child on Monday, then returned Tuesday with a punishment verdict of 8½ years. Prosecutors said the first-grader had just started at Carver Elementary School when a teacher and school nurse spotted injuries and alerted police. The case matters now because it centers on where Texas juries draw the line between discipline and abuse, and because the panel moved quickly after seeing photos of bruises and hearing from the child and investigators. The sentence falls just below the 10-year maximum for the third-degree felony.
Trial testimony described the chain of events: in September 2024, the first-grader arrived at school with a noticeable red mark on his neck. Staff sent the child to the nurse, who documented additional marks and contacted law enforcement. Officers later noted six distinct injuries consistent with being struck by a belt. In court, prosecutors showed jurors images of red and purple bruises stretching across the child’s neck, back, side and lower legs. “He had just started first grade. He was just learning his ABCs,” prosecutor Jessica Washington told jurors in closing arguments, asking whether a belt across a small child’s neck and legs could ever be considered reasonable. Defense attorney Alan Streetman argued Lacour was trying to “straighten out his son” and called it a mistake, but jurors deliberated about 30 minutes before convicting.
At sentencing, jurors weighed prior records and the punishment range of two to 10 years. They asked Judge Thomas West whether they could return a term including a half year, and the judge told them it was proper within the statutory range. Prosecutors Washington and Dan Stokes said afterward that Lacour showed a “complete lack of remorse” and tried to justify leaving a 6-year-old “covered in bruises and welts in the shape of a buckle.” According to police reports read in court, the injuries were “far beyond reasonable physical discipline.” The child, now 7, lives with his grandmother; his mother has cycled in and out of prison, jurors heard. The assault happened at Lacour’s home on McFerrin Avenue in Waco, and the folder at the center of the dispute came from the boy’s first-grade classroom at Carver Elementary.
Records discussed in court showed Lacour previously was convicted of attempted deadly conduct, a felony, and had a misdemeanor assault conviction, which made him ineligible for probation on the new charge. Prosecutors said they offered a five-year plea deal before trial; Lacour rejected it and opted for a jury to decide his fate. The panel needed about 90 minutes to settle on punishment after the conviction. Under Texas law, Lacour must serve at least a quarter of the sentence before he can seek parole consideration. Officials did not release additional details about any disciplinary actions taken by school staff beyond the nurse’s report, and it remains unknown whether the state has opened any separate protective proceedings in family court.
The case reached trial about 15 months after the boy’s injuries were reported. Investigators tied the marks to a belt based on size and pattern, and jurors were shown photographs prosecutors described as “disturbing.” The child testified briefly Tuesday morning about the day he was whipped for forgetting the folder, according to courtroom accounts. The verdict and sentence capped a two-day trial that featured testimony from the child, school personnel and officers. While Waco and McLennan County have seen child-injury prosecutions before, the swiftness of this jury’s decision, and the focus on a routine school task leading to a violent response, stood out in courtroom summaries.
Next steps are procedural. Lacour’s defense can file a notice of appeal through the trial court, and the case would move to an appellate court for review of any alleged errors from trial. As of Wednesday, it was not immediately clear if an appeal would be filed. If no appeal is lodged, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will process Lacour for intake. Any future court hearings—such as post-conviction motions—would be scheduled in the coming weeks. Prosecutors indicated the criminal case is closed with sentencing; any separate child-welfare matters would proceed on their own timelines and are not part of the criminal docket.
Outside the legal filings, voices in court framed the outcome in stark terms. “Every father wants his son to be better than they were,” Streetman told jurors, asking them to see the whipping as a mistake rather than a crime. Washington countered that a first-grader “just learning his ABCs” should not be left with buckle-shaped welts. Images of 4-inch-wide bruises were displayed during arguments, and courtroom observers noted silence as the photos appeared on screens. No victim impact statement was read aloud in open court, and the child did not remain in the courtroom for the verdict, according to descriptions entered into the record.
The case now stands with Lacour in custody to begin serving his sentence. The earliest administrative milestones are routine paperwork and transfer to state custody; the next notable date would be any filing of an appeal within the standard window.
Author note: Last updated January 15, 2026.