MARBLE FALLS, Texas — A man has been sentenced to life without parole in connection with a double homicide in Marble Falls last September.
Burnet County announced on Thursday, Feb. 2 that on Monday, Jan. 30, William Allen Rutland pleaded guilty to Capital Murder of Multiple Persons in connection with the deaths of Teresa and John McDowell in September 2022. Judge Allan Garrett then sentenced Rutland to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On Sept. 13, 2022, officers with the Marble Falls Police Department responded to a 911 disturbance call made by Teresa McDowell. According to a release from Burnet County, she told police that Rutland had been drinking for three days and wouldn't allow her to leave the property.
When officers arrived on the scene in the 1100 block of Cedar Drive, they found McDowell dead in the carport of the residence from an apparent gunshot wound. The release states that as officers began to move toward the house, Rutland walked outside with both hands in the air and was placed in custody.
Officers continued into the residence, where they located a .22 caliber rifle with a scope and magazine. When officers moved to the backyard, they discovered John McDowell, Teresa McDowell's younger brother, with multiple gunshot wounds. Medics responded to the scene, but John McDowell died from his injuries before he could be transported to a hospital.
The release states that as the investigation continued, law enforcement learned that Rutland was previously in a relationship with Teresa McDowell and that he had been living in the residence where the crimes occurred. The investigation later determined that Teresa McDowell was possibly preparing to evict Rutland from the residence.
When the crime was initially reported, the Marble Falls Police Department said it was the city's first homicides since October 2017.
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