August 19, 2025
(McKinney, Texas) – Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Robert Lee Timmons Jr., 34, was sentenced to 50 years in prison for the savage beating and strangulation murder of his mother, Rene Timmons.
Brutal Murder Discovered After Welfare Check
On May 16, 2024, Plano Police responded to a welfare call from a co-worker after Rene failed to show up for work. Officers found her in her home, wrapped in a blanket, with obvious signs of having been viciously beaten and no signs of life.
At the same time just a short distance away, Richardson Police were investigating a report of a man unlawfully entering an apartment. That man—identified as Timmons—told officers, “I just killed my mother.” Richardson officers immediately notified Plano Police, who confirmed they were with Rene’s body. Timmons was taken into custody on the spot.
Confession Shows No Remorse
Plano Detective Bryan Patten interviewed Timmons within hours of the murder. Timmons admitted that after getting angry, he attacked his mother with a metal pipe and a piece of wood, then strangled her. He told Detective Patten, “I know I am an evil person and it looks like I don’t regret what I did, but I’m too high to cry.” Timmons also admitted to regularly smoking methamphetamine.
Detectives learned that the day before the murder, Timmons had falsely accused his mother of assaulting him. He later admitted he fabricated the allegation and inflicted his own injuries—visible in his booking photo—so he could claim self-defense. At the time, Timmons was living with his mother, who had told others she wanted him to move out because of his violence, drug use, erratic behavior, and refusal to find work. Timmons had prior assaultive arrests, including Assault Family Violence Impeding Breath against his sister in Dallas County and Assault Bodily Injury against a male roommate in Collin County. He was prosecuted in both cases.
Statement from DA Greg Willis
“This was a horrific act of violence against the very person who gave him life. This case is also a grim reminder of how meth can fuel violence and destroy families. I’m grateful to our prosecutors and to the Plano and Richardson police for holding this dangerous man accountable and protecting our community from him ever again.”
Prosecution Team
Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Ann Mathew and Jamin Daly prosecuted the case, with investigative assistance from District Attorney Investigator Jennifer Gomez.
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