A timeline was laid out for the jury by defense attorney Edward Davis during opening statements in Judge Juan Renteria’s courtroom at the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building in Dallas, June 8, 2022. The family of 83-yr-old Betty Thomas sued Charter Communications, which operates as Spectrum, after one of their technicians, Roy James Holden, killed Thomas the day after a service call.
A Dallas County jury found Charter Communications acted negligently when it hired a field technician who went on to fatally stab one of his customers, and the jury ordered the company to pay millions of dollars in damages to the woman’s family.
The jury handed down the verdict Thursday and ordered Charter, which also operates as Spectrum, to pay 90% of $375 million dollars in compensatory damages to the family of 83-year-old Betty Thomas. That amount could increase when the jury considers punitive damages on Monday.
Roy James Holden, 45, went to Thomas’ house in December 2019 to help with her Spectrum phone line. The next day, while he was off the clock, he went back to her home using a company van and fatally stabbed her using a knife provided by Spectrum.
Holden pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison in April 2021.
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