Fort Worth man sentenced to life in prison for murdering girlfriend
A Tarrant County jury sentenced a man to life in prison Tuesday for the murder of his girlfriend, Rochelle Mims, in September 2018.
Fort Worth homicide detectives arrested Lucious Newhouse III in September 2018. Police believe he shot Mims, dragged her body out of the house and dumped her body in Hopkins County, according to an arrest warrant. During Newhouse’s trial, prosecutors pointed out that Newhouse was also questioned in connection to a previous girlfriend’s death.
On Sept. 2, 2018, the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office and troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety responded to the scene of a possible drunken driver crash. They found Newhouse, then 55, sitting on Texas 67 just west of Sulphur Springs. Newhouse’s vehicle was stuck in a nearby creek in the middle of a pasture just north of the highway.
Officers walked to the vehicle and found blood on the trunk and rear bumper. The body of a woman later identified as Mims was found a short distance away. Police arrested Newhouse at the scene.
A few hours later and armed with a search warrant, Fort Worth police went to Newhouse’s home in the 4200 block of Lorin Avenue. They found Mims’ purse and identification card on a bed and a large trash bag filled with woman’s clothing. A piece of cardboard in the middle of the bedroom was covered with blood, and blood was splattered on the TV, the warrant said. Two .32-caliber shell casings were found in the room.
During the trial, state prosecutors filed a motion that allowed them to discuss Newhouse’s criminal history. In 2004, police interviewed Newhouse in connection to another woman’s death, according to court documents. Fort Worth police found the body of JoAnn Davis on March 17, 2004, in Gateway Park. Her body was wrapped in a blanket and appeared to have been dumped in the park. Newhouse and Davis had been in a relationship and had a child together. Witnesses said the blanket Davis was found in was previously inside Newhouse’s house, and Newhouse’s DNA was linked to the body and the blanket.
Newhouse admitted to having sex with Davis that morning, but denied knowing how she had been killed or who dumped her body in the park, court records said. Court records do not show any charges against Newhouse in connection to Davis’ death.
