Thomas’ murder conviction affirmed

The Seventh Court of Appeals issued an opinion on Oct. 13, affirming the conviction of Robert Thomas, III, for the offense of capital murder involving the killing of Jerry McBride on May 20, 2017, in Vernon. The case had a number of twists and turns with another person originally being arrested and charged for the offense before later having the charges dropped against them.
Thomas and co-defendant Ronald Fanner were not arrested for the murder until June of 2019 after a significant investigation. Thomas was convicted by a Wilbarger County jury on Oct. 15, 2021, and sentenced to life without parole. His co-defendant, Ronald Fanner, who served as a look-out was sentenced to 12 years in prison.