A Texas jury has awarded the family of an 83-year-old woman who a cable repairman murdered $7 billion in damages after they deemed the cable company he worked for, Charter Communications, liable for her death.
USA Today reported that Betty Jo McClain Thomas was robbed and murdered inside her Irving home in December 2019 by Spectrum technician Roy James Holden.
On the day of the murder, Holden showed up in uniform, driving the company's van on his day off, and stabbed Thomas to death, NBC News reported.
The news outlet reported that he stole credit cards out of her purse and went on a shopping spree.
During the trial, Thomas' attorney said Charter never verified Holden's employment when they hired him. Had they done that, they would have found out he lied, and he wouldn't have been hired, the news outlets reported.
According to Dallas Morning News, Holden pleaded guilty to her murder in April 2021, and he was sentenced to life in prison.
Last month, Charter Communications, which owns Spectrum, was found negligent and grossly negligent in Thomas’ death by a Dallas County jury, NBC News reported.
Jurors awarded her family $337.5 million in compensatory damages, the news outlets reported.
A spokesperson for Charter told USA Today they plan to appeal the verdict.