Texas Man Punches Attorney in Court After Learning He Will Serve 50 Years for Murder, Now Faces Additional Charge

A 27-year-old Texas man, identified as Jaquarius Lewis, allegedly punched his attorney in the face after he was sentenced to prison for 50 years on April 28.

Lewis was convicted of murder in April 2024 and pleaded guilty to his charges in January this year, according to the Hudson Police Department. Lewis has been sentenced for the murder of a 40-year-old victim identified as Quincy Johnson.

Reacting to the incident, defense attorney John Petruzzi while talking to a local outlet KRIV said, “At that point, apparently, now I was out.. My client hit me in the face, and people in the courtroom said that I fell back.”

“I was standing, I fell back against the chair, and then I hit a counter and hit the back of my head,” the Houston area defense attorney added.

“I don't remember any of that,” Petruzzi said, adding he regained consciousness and found himself surrounded by bailiffs and paramedics. Someone then reportedly asked him, “Do you realize that your client just punched you in the face?”

The attorney said he was shocked, as he has been a defense attorney for a long time and had never been hit by a client. He was not seriously injured in the alleged attack.

Lewis, however, in addition to his sentence, now faces a new charge of injury to an individual who is at least 65 years of age.

On April 18, 2024, at about 7 p.m., Johnson was standing outside his balcony on the Subway Street in Houston, Texas, “when two male suspects walked by and shot him,” according to the police. Officers who responded to the scene “found the victim unresponsive in his apartment.”

After a law enforcement investigation, two suspects were identified. Police said they identified Lewis as the shooter who shot Johnson. Police arrested Lewis on May 3, 2024. However, the man who accompanied Lewis on the day of the shooting was questioned and then released by police without any charges.

According to reports from some local media outlets, Lewis had asked the court for a separate defense attorney instead of Petruzzi in December 2025. However, it remains unclear whether Lewis will face more time in prison for the new charge.