Demitrius Shea Lacour (McLennan County Jail).

Demitrius Shea Lacour, aged 40, received an 8 1/2-year prison sentence on Monday after being found guilty of injuring a child, as reported by the local CBS station KWTX. The case came to light in September 2024 when the first-grader appeared at school with a noticeable large red bruise on his neck. Concerns grew as a school nurse discovered additional bruises and welts, prompting her to alert the authorities. The young boy had “six distinct injuries on his body, all consistent with being struck with a belt,” according to KWTX.

The injuries included 4-inch wide bruises located on the child’s neck, back, side, and lower legs. Investigations concluded that the punishment went “far beyond reasonable physical discipline.”

During closing arguments, Prosecutor Jessica Washington emphasized this point to the court.

Prosecutor Jessica Washington reiterated that notion during her closing arguments.

“Did this 6-year-old deserve this?” Washington reportedly said. “He had just started first grade. He was just learning his ABCs. Was that reasonable discipline? Is this what you would expect from a parent when this child merely forgets his take-home folder? Was a belt across his neck and back and legs what he needed to learn to be a better student?”

The defendant’s attorney said his client was trying to “straighten out his son.” He dismissed it as a “mistake.”

“Was this a mistake someone needs to go to prison for?” attorney Alan Streetman said, according to KWTX.

Jurors didn’t take long to side with the prosecution. They reportedly came back with a verdict in 30 minutes. Lacour had reportedly been offered a plea deal in which he would have received a five-year prison sentence but he rejected that and took his chances at trial.

Washington and fellow prosecutor Dan Stokes said in a statement to KWTX that Lacour showed a “complete lack of remorse and avoidance of responsibility.”

“His attempts to justify leaving a 6-year-old child covered in bruises and welts in the shape of a buckle all over his body was not discipline, but abuse,” they said.