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A Houston man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for each of four felonies, including a 2008 murder and selling drugs while incarcerated. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced the guilty plea of Joshua Sinclair Owens, who was convicted of the strangulation death of Marsha Lynn Mitchell on June 10, 2008.
“We’ve got a message for everyone who thinks they’ve gotten away with murder: We don’t forget,” Ogg stated. “And for everyone involved with bringing contraband in the jail, we’re watching.”
Owens, aged 35 and a repeat offender, was identified as Mitchell's murderer through a DNA match in the FBI database CODIS. Investigators from the Houston Police Department charged him with murder in 2023, believing he also sexually assaulted Mitchell before leaving her body behind a construction site in south Houston.
While awaiting trial in jail, Owens orchestrated a drug-selling scheme among inmates. This activity led to an additional guilty plea for engaging in organized criminal activity and another 50-year sentence. His actions garnered media attention due to accumulating nearly $30,000 in his commissary account from drug sales. The money has since been confiscated by the District Attorney’s Office.
Owens also admitted guilt to aggravated assault against a family member and evading arrest after fleeing police in a stolen Porsche. Each crime resulted in an additional 50-year sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Sepi Zimmer managed the murder case while ADA Kimberly Smith prosecuted the jail smuggling incident. Zimmer emphasized justice for victims and their families: “It was important to get justice for his victims and their families... And it shows families that we never forget their loved ones or their cases.”
Smith highlighted the severity of contraband smuggling: “This defendant tried to profit from bringing poison into jail... we were able to hold him accountable for his actions.”
The four sentences will run concurrently, and Owens cannot appeal any convictions or punishments.