Texas AG Helps Solve 40-Year-Old Cold Case, Secures Three Consecutive Life Sentences for Murderer

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton played a pivotal role in securing justice for a decades-old murder case as Pablo Gonzales-Figueroa, aged 62, received three consecutive life sentences. Figueroa was convicted for a murder committed over 40 years ago, with the assistance of the Office of the Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecutions Division and local authorities.

The case dates back to April 1981 when 72-year-old Donna Mae Inlow was brutally attacked while working in her family’s shoe store in downtown Brownwood, Texas. In a heinous act, Inlow was dragged into the back storeroom, where she suffered severe injuries including a fractured skull, strangulation with a mop handle, sexual assault, and multiple stab wounds. The perpetrator also emptied the cash register before fleeing the scene. Inlow’s body was discovered the following morning by a concerned neighboring shop owner.

Despite ongoing investigations and development of suspects, the case went cold for years. In 2001, DNA samples from Inlow’s pantyhose were submitted for testing, resulting in a profile that was eventually matched to Pablo Figueroa in 2019 through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Figueroa’s profile had been uploaded to CODIS following a federal conviction related to conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens.

Following further investigation, Figueroa was indicted for the capital murder of Inlow in December 2022. He was transferred to Brown County in September 2023 to await trial after completing his federal sentence. After approximately a year of litigation, Figueroa’s defense approached prosecutors to negotiate a plea bargain.

The negotiations led to Figueroa pleading guilty to capital murder, aggravated robbery, and aggravated rape, with each charge carrying a life sentence to be served consecutively. Figueroa also agreed to waive presentencing time credits and future challenges to the convictions. Forty-two years after Inlow’s murder, Judge Mike Smith of the 35th District Court of Brown County accepted the plea bargain and imposed three consecutive life sentences.

The Office of the Attorney General provided assistance to local prosecutors upon request, including additional investigations conducted by Sergeants Joe Baca and David Fugitt of the Criminal Investigations Division.