Serial abuser gets 50 years

WAXAHACHIE – Ellis County serial domestic abuser Robert Edgar Parham, III, was sentenced to 50 years in prison in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system after he was convicted last week of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to a statement from the Ellis County District Attorney’s Office, Putnam pinned his victim, a girlfriend, to the ground, punched her in the eye and head, kicked her in the ribs and repeatedly struck the back of her head with a pistol.

He reportedly held a gun to the victim’s head and, “told her to beg for her life.” 

He left her go after she told him she would attribute the injuries to an ATV accident. 

When the victim’s family saw her injuries, the encouraged her to go to the hospital and contact the police department, which she did.

She later changed her story however, and said the injuries were the result of an “ATV accident.”

In another twist, the DA’s office had originally scheduled the trial for October 2021, but Parham fled to Mexico before the trial. 

He was arrested at the Texas-Mexico border in February 2022, and his new trial was set for Aug. 21. 

It was also revealed during the trial that Parham had a history of abusing his partners, as well as a previous conviction for assaulting a former spouse. 

Ellis County District Attorney Ann Montgomery said of the sentence, “Domestic violence is often a hidden crime. 

“Abusers use power and control to ensure their victims remain in fear and keep silent. 

“Even when victims are afraid to speak out against their abusers, our office will do everything we can to give victims a voice and see that justice is done.”