Houston Man Receives Life Sentence for Gruesome Capital Murder of Young Mother

David Spates, 61, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole after being convicted by a Harris County jury of capital murder, announced Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. The conviction is for the brutal killing of 28-year-old Kayla Lary on June 24, 2020.

The crime was described by Ogg as a premeditated and planned-out capital murder. Lary, a young mother, was tied up, had a garbage bag over her head, and was subjected to a brutal assault involving a hammer, stomping, and stabbing until she succumbed to her injuries.

Spates and Lary were known to each other and were part of a group of individuals who used drugs together. Spates accused Lary of talking to the police after another man in their circle was arrested earlier that year.

The incident took place at a rural home near Sheldon Lake, where Lary was bound, assaulted, and killed. A witness reported that during the attack, Lary pleaded to go home to be with her baby.

Following the murder, Lary’s car was driven to the woods, abandoned, and her body was dumped in the San Jacinto River. Her decomposed remains were discovered approximately 10 days later, making it challenging to determine the exact cause of death.

Despite the difficulties in determining the cause of death, a Harris County jury convicted Spates after a seven-day trial. The jury deliberated for just 19 minutes before reaching a verdict.

Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Rogers, along with ADA Megan Long, prosecuted the case in the DA’s Homicide Division. Rogers emphasized the heinous nature of the crime, stating, “No one deserves to die like that, and he threw her away like she was a piece of trash.”

The prosecutors expressed gratitude to the jurors for their careful consideration of the facts in the case.