Four plead guilty in Harris County slayings

Appearing in Harris County Superior Court Friday for a pretrial hearing, the four defendants linked to the deaths of Sherlene Robinson and Jerry Church chose to plead guilty to various crimes.

Dereck Cox, 19, and Kevin Thomas McKay, 22, both received life sentences with decades tacked on top for pleas to murder, robbery, burglary and theft by taking. Richard J. Strickland, 17, and Gage Q. Bryant, 14, each got 20 years plus probation for robbery and burglary.

“I’m satisfied to the extent that the family is satisfied,” said Chief Assistant District Attorney Alonza Whitaker. “No sentence we impose can bring back the Churches nor restore those families to what they have lost.”

Whitaker said Friday was the first time under new District Attorney Julia Slater that all the lawyers and defendants were together. They discussed the evidence the defendants would face, and the evidence defendants cooperating with the state would give, and decided the case could be resolved without a trial.

Robinson, 57, and Church, 61, were slain June 28 at their Waverly Hall, Ga., home. The four defendants were initially accused of stealing beer from one of Church’s properties the night of the slayings when they hatched a plan to get more, Harris County Sheriff’s Sgt. Gary Lewis testified in July. The stories the suspects gave police differed, though it appears one of them knocked on the door with a story about needing gas money.

When Church said he didn’t have any money, he was struck in the face, Lewis said.

Cox, McKay and Strickland entered the home, the sergeant said, though accounts differ on who attacked Church and his 57-year-old wife. Lewis said Church was stabbed in the neck and Robinson was choked.

The group left in one vehicle but realized the key to another vehicle was on the key ring, so they returned for it, Lewis said.

During the investigation, a fifth person — Joshua Douglas Pounds — said Strickland and Bryant approached him about opening lockboxes before the bodies were discovered June 28, Lewis said. They took him to Church’s house, but when he saw the bodies in the living room, he left, the investigator said.

Pounds was charged with burglary and concealing the death of another. He’s scheduled to appear in court later this month, Whitaker said.

Attorney Frank Martin, who represents Strickland, said his client should have left when the crime was committed and used bad judgement. Strickland had no criminal record beforehand and didn’t kill anyone, Martin said.

McKay was arrested June 28 after deputies were called to the scene of an accident on Ga. 18 near the 7-mile marker. Witnesses said they saw a man carrying a bottle of vodka walking from a gold 2004 Chrysler Sebring into the woods.

Deputies found the man, later determined to be McKay, walking along Salem Road.

Lewis learned that Cox had been arrested for DUI in Troup County about 20 minutes before McKay’s arrest. He was driving a truck owned by Church, the sergeant said.

Deputies discovered the bodies when they went to Church’s home to tell him about the stolen Sebring.