Man Who Killed Mother, Drained Bank Account Gets Life Without Parole

A Collin County judge sentenced a Granbury man to life in prison without parole for the 2010 murder of his mother inside her Plano home.

According to the Collin County District Attorney's Office, Thomas Grady Layton, 48, traveled from his home in Granbury to his mother's home in Plano where he watched TV with her.  When the woman, 64-year-old Grada Layton, fell asleep in her living room recliner, he came up behind her and shot her in the head and chest, killing her instantly.

The district attorney's office said following the murder Thomas Layton robbed his mother of her purse, sunglasses and other valuables before using her  credit card to drain her bank account.

Three days after the murder, Thomas Layton called 911 to ask for a welfare check of his mother. Police checked the home but found the doors locked and reported nothing was suspicious. Layton then went to the home in Plano and reported he found his mother dead inside the house.

The district attorney's office said Thomas Layton was Grada Layton's only child and that at the time of her murder she provided him with financial support, a home in Granbury and a vehicle. Despite the support, witnesses told the district attorney's office that Thomas Layton resented his mother and thought she should give him even more money.

The Plano Police Department's investigation of the murder revealed that Thomas Layton admitted the murder to his stepson. The district attorney said because he committed both robbery and murder, he was charged with capital murder.

A jury deliberated for four hours before finding Layton guilty of capital murder according to the Dallas Morning News. Judge Ray Wheless handed down the mandatory sentence of life without parole Friday.

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