Tarrant County jury sentences man to life without parole for 2020 triple homicide over car deal

CBS News

01-05-2025

A man who authorities say executed three people over a deal at a Fort Worth car lot in late 2020 has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A Tarrant County jury handed down the sentence to Lamont Cousins, 48, in connection with the Dec. 14, 2020, fatal shootings of 46-year-old Veronica Del Jones, 65-year-old Virginia Lewis, and 55-year-old Clayton Turrentine.
"This case is about the execution of three people," Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Lloyd Whelchel told the jury. "What he did was so terrible, and it caps a lifetime of behavior."
Lamont Cousins
Tarrant County District Attorney's Office
In a news release Thursday, the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office said Lewis' body was found at Bill's Auto Sales off Benbrook Highway in Fort Worth, and the two others were found in an abandoned building in Palo Pinto County.
Prosecutors said the triple homicide occurred after Turrentine, owner of Bill's Auto Sales, bought a red Dodge from Cousins and sold it, only for the buyer to discover a lien on the car, leading to its repossession. Turrentine refunded the buyer.
Cousins fatally shot Lewis at Bill's Auto Sales, and he and co-defendant Andrew Vandermeer tied up Turrentine and Del Jones, drove them to an abandoned bait shop, and Cousins shot them in the back of the head, according to authorities.
Police found Lewis lying on the floor in a pool of her blood. Cousins left Lewis to die "on the ground like a dog," Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney Dale Smith said.
Prosecutors said Cousins shot Turrentine, owner of Bill's Auto Sales, and Veronica Del Jones, an employee, at the dealership. Vandermeer testified he tied them up and drove them to an abandoned bait shop in Palo Pinto County, with Cousins giving directions.
"They knew this was their last stop because (Cousins) told them: 'This is the end of the road,'" Smith told the jury.
According to prosecutors, Cousins took Turrentine into the vacant building, fatally shot him in the back of the head, then retrieved Jones from the vehicle, walked her into the building and also fatally shot her in the back of the head. He and Vandermeer then returned to Fort Worth.
Vandermeer, 36, plans to accept 45 years in prison in exchange for a guilty plea, prosecutors said.