WACO, Texas (KXXV) — A Dallas man has been sentenced to two life terms in prison for his role in the 2022 murder of Stanley Wilcox, whose body was discovered in a creek near Baylor University’s campus on January 6, 2023.
Brandon Stephens, 21, pleaded guilty to Murder and Aggravated Robbery just moments before jury selection was set to begin for his second trial in the 19th District Court. His first trial ended in a hung jury, with 11 jurors favoring a Capital Murder conviction and one juror opting for a lesser charge of Murder.
Stephens is the third and final person convicted in connection with Wilcox’s death. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors allowed Stephens to plead guilty to Murder and Aggravated Robbery instead of facing trial again for Capital Murder. In exchange, he received two concurrent life sentences—the maximum punishment for the charges.
Though Stephens will be legally eligible for parole after 30 years, prosecutors noted that the violent nature of the crime will likely delay any such possibility for significantly longer.
Last week, James Willis, 22, identified as the mastermind and principal actor in Wilcox’s killing, was convicted of Capital Murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A third co-defendant, Alijah Benson, 22, also of Dallas, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to Aggravated Robbery. Although Benson did not travel to Waco or directly participate in the attack, prosecutors said he provided the weapon Willis used in the crime. Benson was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
