Burnet County man gets 60 years in domestic assault
Keith Aaron Blundell, 33, of Burnet County was sentenced to 60 years in prison and fined $10,000 for assaulting his girlfriend and choking her unconscious. This was the third felony for Blundell, meaning his sentencing was far more severe than normal. Photo from Burnet County Jail
A jury on March 4 found Keith Aaron Blundell, 33, of Burnet County guilty of assault for strangling his girlfriend unconscious in a 2024 attack.
While the third-degree family violence felony typically results in a sentence of two to 10 years, Blundell had previously been convicted of two other felonies in Harris County, including aggravated assault against a family member.
Under the Texas Three Strikes Law, Blundell faced a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Judge Allan Garrett of the 33rd Judicial District, which includes Burnet County, passed down the 60-year sentence and a $10,000 fine Tuesday at the recommendation of the jury.
“This verdict shows that our citizens will protect victims of violent crime with lengthy prison sentences for their abusers,” said prosecuting attorney Bill Price in a March 5 media release announcing the decision.
On June 6, 2024, Burnet County sheriff’s deputies responded to a welfare check at a home on County Road 304 and found a woman who had “clear physical signs of having been assaulted, sustaining injuries to her face, head and eyes,” according to the release. The victim reportedly told deputies that Blundell had assaulted her and strangled her until she passed out.
Following his arrest, Blundell pleaded not guilty to the charge and told his girlfriend not to testify against him in court. She did not testify, but prosecutors played for the jury recorded phone calls from Blundell to the victim asking her not to testify, which, along with other evidence, led to his conviction.
“(My office is) grateful to this Burnet County jury for a sentence that will keep this abuser from hurting anyone else for a long time,” wrote 33rd/424th Judicial District Attorney Perry Thomas in the March 5 release. “This case demonstrates this office’s commitment to doing everything we can to protect those that have been victims of violent crime.”
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You choke on food. It’s called strangulation when a man puts his hands around a woman’s neck. Please understand the difference.