Rockwall County man sentenced to 40 years for aggravated assault with deadly weapon/family violence

Rockwall County man sentenced to 40 years for aggravated assault with deadly weapon/family violence

ROCKWALL, TX (July 26, 2023) This week, visiting District Judge Richard Beacom sentenced Jarod Broussard, 41, to forty (40) years in a Texas prison for the offense of Aggravated Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury with a Deadly Weapon/Family Violence.

The Rockwall Police Department arrested Broussard on August 21, 2022, after his girlfriend escaped in the middle of the night from the home she shared with Broussard.  The victim ran from one house to another seeking help until a neighbor let her in and called 911. Though seriously injured, the victim was able to tell police that Broussard had repeatedly strangled, suffocated, and beaten her to unconsciousness in retaliation for her decision to end their relationship.

EMS transported the victim to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with multiple fractured vertebrae and two life-threatening brain hemorrhages in addition to a black eye, swollen face, and finger-shaped bruising on her neck. During their investigation, police recovered video footage from a surveillance camera Broussard had installed in the couple’s bedroom. That video footage not only corroborated the victim’s account of how the assault had occurred but highlighted the shocking brutality of the attack she had survived.  At one point during the video, Broussard had both hands around the victim’s neck strangling her as he stated through gritted teeth, “I’m gonna kill you with my own two hands.”

Police investigators also discovered that Broussard had previously assaulted at least four other women including an incident that was caught on video by bystanders in Deep Ellum in 2018. That footage showed Broussard punching his victim in the head so hard that her head bounced off a wall lacerating her scalp and knocking out one of her teeth. After the Deep Ellum incident, Broussard was sentenced in 2019 by a Dallas County Judge to two (2) years in prison on one felony case and five (5) years of probation on another. Broussard was still on probation out of Dallas County when he committed the felony assault in Rockwall County.

“As a career prosecutor, I’ve seen the aftermath of violence more times than I can count, but seeing it firsthand on video is rare,” said lead prosecutor Kerri New.  “This victim showed incredible bravery both in saving herself from life-threatening violence and in standing up for herself and all the victims who came before her.  Because of her courage, Broussard’s days of brutalizing women are over.”

“This case highlights the seriousness of family violence cases and why our office is so vigilant in prosecuting even the less serious crimes,” said Rockwall County District Attorney Kenda Culpepper.  “Unless a perpetrator faces consequences early in the cycle of abuse, the violence often escalates. That brutality not only affects innocent victims but also their children, families and our community, and it must be stopped.”