Background: The McLennan County Sheriff’s Office located in Waco, Texas (Google Maps). Insets (left to right): Damen Marcus Henry, Bobby Doyle Getts (McLennan County Sheriff’s Office).
A man from Texas facing assault charges might find himself in deeper trouble after an accused murderer, who is also an inmate, allegedly solicited him to eliminate a witness.
Damen Marcus Henry, aged 45, was detained in the McLennan County Jail on charges related to assault family violence when additional accusations surfaced, including attempted witness tampering and attempted evidence tampering. As detailed in an arrest affidavit shared by local CBS station KWTX, Henry was discovered exchanging notes with 63-year-old Bobby Doyle Getts, jailed for murder.
The notes were circulated through another inmate, who informed the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office of Getts’ alleged plan to free Henry so that he could “address” a key witness against him.
According to an affidavit, obtained from the local Fox affiliate KWKT, Getts supposedly sought the elimination of a female witness in his murder trial. One note reportedly instructed, “Make sure She does NOT show up to Court.” The reverse side of this note included a mapped route to the witness’s residential address. Officers found a Bible in Henry’s possession that contained the witness’s address written inside.
The police claimed the scheme involved Getts planning to cover Henry’s $3,000 bail to release him to accomplish the planned crime. Allegedly, the affidavit mentioned Getts advising Henry to use “‘paint thinner’ to burn her and kill her.”
When police interviewed Henry, he admitted to knowing where the witness lived and that “Uncle Bobby wanted him to burn up the trailer at this address.” Henry allegedly told police “it was a two-part deal, he wants me to go f—ing talk to her, and he wants me to burn his house down, that’s what he wants.”
Getts was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of murder in connection to the March 27 shooting death of Eddie Lee Sanders. KWTX’s reporting on that case included mentions of a witness who allegedly saw Getts shoot Sanders. It is not clear if Getts was allegedly targeting the same witness in the notes he exchanged with Henry.
Henry was charged with one count of attempting to tamper with a witness and one count of attempting to tamper with evidence. Getts has not yet been charged with any crimes connected to the alleged jailhouse plot. Both men remain in custody at the McLennan County Jail.
