Third Defendant in Fatal Purse Snatching Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison

Lawrence Earl Thomas, 42, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for his role in the death of 71-year-old Martha Medina, District Attorney Kim Ogg announced. Thomas was convicted of engaging in organized criminal activity during a four-day trial. He will be required to serve at least 25 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Thomas, along with co-defendants Andrew Williams and Felton Ford, was involved in a purse snatching on September 23, 2021, in the parking lot of a McDonald’s located at 400 Uvalde Road, Cloverleaf, east Harris County. The three men had been observing Medina after she left a nearby bank.

On that morning, at approximately 10 a.m., Thomas and Williams were in a vehicle together, while Ford was in a separate car serving as a lookout. When Medina exited the McDonald’s, Thomas seized her purse, causing her to fall to the ground. Thomas then returned to Williams’ vehicle. Williams, who was reversing out of the parking space, ran over Medina and subsequently drove over her as they fled the scene.

Medina was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. Williams was already on bond for a previous capital murder charge at the time of this incident. He was sentenced to life without parole in April 2023.

Ford, who cooperated with the investigation, pleaded guilty to engaging in organized criminal activity and received a 30-year prison sentence in September 2023. Like Thomas, Ford must also serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

The prosecution was led by Assistant District Attorney Sean Kozar-King and ADA Cameron Calligan, division chief of the DA’s Organized Crime Division.