Lonnie Paul Bishop of Killing Mother with a Hammer

Lonnie Paul Bishop (McLennan County Jail)

A 34-year-old Texas man has been ordered to spend half a century behind bars committing the brutal 2020 murder of his own mother, whom he hammered to death last year. District Judge Thomas West on Thursday sentenced to 50 years in prison for Lonnie Paul Bishop for murdering 57 years old Yun Neang Bishop, Court records Reviewed by Law & Crime show.

Before his conviction, Bishop pleaded guilty to one count of murder for killing his mother in May 2021. He will be eligible for parole after receiving a 25-year prison sentence.

According to a report from Waco CBS affiliate KWTX-TV, attorney for Bishop, Jonathan Sibley, emphasized to Judge West that his client had a documented history of mental illness that should be considered in Thursday’s proceedings. Bishop, for his part, is said to repeatedly refer to Judge West as “His Highness” throughout the hearing.

“I wish there had been earlier intervention so he could get what he needed to keep him to the point where we don’t end up here today,” Sibley told the court. “I think that ultimately led to why he was here. It was a sad situation for him and evident for all his family. They lost their mother, but they also lost him, and although he has struggled with mental health issues, he is still part of the family. It’s just been a sad situation along the way. ”

Lee Carter, a Waco psychologist, is said to have assessed Bishop for three hours and determined that the defendant was healthy and fit to stand trial. However, he did diagnose Bishop with “antisocial personality disorder, major depressive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from a traumatic childhood at the hands of alcoholic parents, abuse,” according to KWTX.

“It was like an out-of-body experience,” Bishop told Carter in connection with the murder, the psychologist reports. “The day it happened, I couldn’t even say I was acting like myself.”

Sibley did not immediately respond to a message from Law & Crime seeking comment on the guilty plea or sentence.

The Waco Tribune reported that Waco Police Department officers at approximately 6:12 p.m. on May 31, 2021 responded to a 911 call about a domestic disturbance at a residence located in the 700 block of North 11th Street. . The victim is said to have been on the phone with a neighbor when Bishop attacked. The neighbor called 911 and told the dispatcher she heard the victim screaming for help and heard Bishop shouting “I have a plan for you” on the open line.

“The friend then heard the victim’s phone had been stolen and, over an open line, she heard several loud bangs through the phone,” an affidavit obtained by KWTX said.

Upon arrival at the scene, first responders were greeted by Bishop, who was waiting for them on the front porch of the mansion. Bishop later confessed to killing his biological mother and said he repeatedly beat her with a hammer.

Officers put Bishop under house arrest before entering the house and uncovering a grisly scene. Yun Bishop is presumed dead in his bed. Her cause of death is believed to be a severe head injury. American Medical Response officials announced that she died at the scene. According to reports, a hammer and a bloody hammer were found from inside the house.

During his examination with Dr. Carter, Bishop is said to have expressed a desire to go to court so he could tell his story.

“I mean, there’s a part of me that wants people to know why I’m doing it, that I’m not some heartless monster that doesn’t like her or doesn’t care about her,” Bishop told Carter, according to Carter’s report. “People see it differently from the way it actually happened. I want people to know why it happened. “

Profile display that Bishop has remained incarcerated at the McLennan County Jail since his arrest last year.

The Clerk of McLennan County Court and the Waco County District Attorney’s Office also did not immediately respond to messages from Law & Crime.

[image via McLennan County Jail]

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