An Odessa man convicted Thursday of murdering another local man four years ago will likely die in prison after being sentenced by an Ector County jury Friday.
The jury deliberated 90 minutes before sentencing Rondale Gerrod Farris, 41, to 65 years in prison for murder in the July 2018 death of Treginale White, 41. They also sentenced him to concurrent terms of 50 years for felony murder and 20 years for engaging in organized crime.
According to court testimony, two relatives of Farris’ got into a fistfight with White and his brother, Roderick White, outside a convenience store at Highway 80 and Eighth Street and Farris ran out of the store and shot Treginale White.
Before visiting Judge Rodney Satterwhite imposed the sentences he heard from Roderick White, White’s mother, Glenda Clay, and his aunt, Sandra White Thomas.
Roderick White told the judge he’ll never forget his little brother, the “comic book” of his life. He said they had been raised to always have each other’s backs and he’ll always remember that in the last moments of Treginale’s life that’s what they were doing.
Clay told Farris she misses her son’s smile, hugs, joy and the pranks he played on her.
“I’ll never forgive you for taking my son from me, never,” Clay said.
Thomas questioned how many of God’s children are going to continue dying in the world because of gun violence. She told Farris he broke her heart and lamented the fact White left behind children and grandchildren that will never get to know him.
“I ask God to help you get that hate out of your heart,” Thomas said. “I’m going to write you and tell you that I forgive you, but right now I just can’t. God bless you.”
Taking the stand again after Clay stepped down, Thomas said she doesn’t know what happened to Farris as a child, but she prays he’ll “get it right.”
Farris was facing 15-99 years or life on each of the three charges. His attorney, Jeff Nicholson of Lubbock, asked for mercy for his client saying people can be rehabilitated. He also noted his client was respectful throughout the entire trial.
Assistant Ector County District Attorney Melissa Williams asked the jury for life sentences, noting Farris was placed on probation in drug and weapons cases in 2011, violated his probation in another weapons case and was sent to prison.
Farris “executed” White over a fight that didn’t even involve him and he didn’t just endanger White’s life, but the lives of everyone else in the parking lot that night, Williams said.
“I hope you don’t feel you have to give him extra credit” for behaving in the courtroom, she said.
She asked the jurors to ask themselves, “Will you ever feel safe knowing he’s out of prison?”
Williams and her co-counsel, Scott Turner, based their case on the testimony of Thurman Williams, who came forward more than three years after the shooting to say he saw Farris shoot the victim, and surveillance tapes that showed White dropping to the ground seconds after Farris exited the store and shots are heard ringing out.
They also relied heavily on the testimony of a deputy medical examiner who testified the three shots that struck White were fired less than three to four feet away based upon the soot and gunpowder left on his face. At least one of the shots was fired from less than 12 inches away, she said.
