A Solano County Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced a 35-year-old Vallejo man to 50 years to life for killing his girlfriend in 2016.
Troy Lamar Austin heard Judge John B. Ellis pronounce the prison term during proceedings in Department 23 in the Justice Building in Vallejo. At the same time, Ellis found to be true that Austin suffered a prior strike, or felony.
The sentencing came after a jury on Oct. 2 determined that Austin committed the first-degree murder of Samantha Rhone. Ellis presided over the monthlong trial, which came during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Court records show Austin and Rhone had been in a dating relationship for approximately five years, during which time Rhone had suffered other episodes of domestic violence, noted Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams, whose office issued a press release late Friday.
On the night of the murder, May 19, several people in the Wallace Avenue area in Vallejo heard a female screaming for help and what sounded like hitting noises.
Two people looked out their second-story windows and saw Austin attacking Rhone. They saw him “kick and stomp on her upwards of 20 times as she lay there going in and out of consciousness,” according to wording in the prepared statement.
All the witnesses called 911. Vallejo police officers arrived on scene, and Austin fled.
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As officers arrived, Rhone continued to go in and out of consciousness but was able to tell officers that Austin had beaten her. She was rushed to the hospital. Emergency surgery was performed, but, due to the extent of internal bleeding from blunt force trauma, she died of her injuries.
Austin was found hiding in a neighbor’s backyard. Upon being arrested, he provided a false name. Austin admitted he “went psycho” and beat Rhone because “she did not listen,” the news release indicated.
Austin has been in the Stanton Correctional Facility since the murder. He was declared incompetent to stand trial on June 23, 2022, but was determined to be competent, that is, able to help in his defense, on Dec. 29, 2023. Criminal proceedings were reinstated.
Vallejo criminal defense attorney Dustin Gordon represented Austin. Deputy District Attorney Ilana Shapiro led the prosecution. Robert Greenberg was the lead DA investigator.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic violence and need an advocate, telephone (707) 784-6827, said Abrams, Solano County’s chief law enforcement officer and longtime advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
