WACO, Texas — A Waco man was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Thursday — 30 years for the murder of Tai'Vunn Briscoe and five years for the kidnapping of a teenage acquaintance.
According to the McLennan County District Attorney's Office, charges against 45-year-old Christopher Alan Bias stemmed from an incident that occurred on March 19, 2018 on Herring Avenue in Waco, where a teenager was kidnapped, then reported to police that Bias had held him captive for several hours in Tai'Vunn Briscoe's home — Briscoe was also present for this incident.
"The teen told officers that Bias had a gun and forced him and Mr. Briscoe into their respective bedrooms before binding their hands and feet with tape," authorities said.
"Bias eventually forced the teen into a vehicle and traveled around Waco for several hours before finally letting the young man go — once released, the teen told his mother about the incident and she contacted police. The teen also told police that Bias made him help steal a television from Mr. Briscoe’s house."
Upon arrival of the home, Waco police discovered Briscoe dead in a closet at the residence, with his hands and feed bound by duct tape.
An autopsy revealed that Briscoe died as a "as a result of positional asphyxiation because his cramped position in the closet did not permit him to breathe sufficiently, eventually resulting in his death."
Upon investigation, Bias was arrested on September 30, 2019 — in December, the D.A.'s office indicted Bias for capital murder, but in 2023 after District Attorney Josh Tetens took office, prosecutors reviewed the case and changed the charge from capital murder to murder, upon the discovery that the evidence could not support a capital murder charge.
"Specifically, under Texas law, a capital murder charge requires proof of specific intent to kill. In this case, no evidence existed proving intent to kill. Briscoe had no bodily injuries and was determined to have died as a result of lack of oxygen due to the position of his body in the closet." the D.A.'s office said.
"Thus, a capital murder charge could not legally be sustained by the evidence. Bias had no previous criminal history."
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kristi DeCluitt and Luke McCowan.
