A 20-year-old Texas man faces the possibility of spending the remainder of his life behind bars after fatally shooting an “acquaintance” who had stopped on his property to repair a flat tire, delivering the chilling remark to his dying victim to “make sure you die slow.”
A McLennan County jury deliberated for a mere 15 minutes before returning a guilty verdict against Brandon Michael Davis for the murder of 38-year-old Dustin Nobles, which occurred in January 2025, according to authorities.
Following the punishment phase of the trial, jurors sentenced Davis to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years.
“Davis acknowledged shooting Nobles, but claimed that the killing was in self-defense,” the district attorney’s office wrote in a Facebook post. “Prosecutors presented evidence that Nobles was unarmed and that Davis initiated the confrontation. Jurors rejected Davis’ self-defense claim, convicting him after only 15 minutes of deliberation.”
Throughout the three-day trial, prosecutors introduced evidence revealing that as early as December 2024, Davis had sent Nobles a text message explicitly threatening to shoot him should he ever return to his street or property, as reported by Waco-based CBS affiliate KWTX.
Officers with the Waco Police Department responded on January 5, 2025, to Davis’ residence located in the 1300 block of Old Moody Road in Eddy, following reports of a shooting incident.
Upon arrival, first responders discovered a man, subsequently identified as Nobles, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the upper chest. Despite efforts by paramedics to save his life, those measures proved unsuccessful, and Nobles was pronounced dead at 1:04 p.m., according to a probable cause affidavit cited in prior reporting by KWTX.
Investigators observed that the front passenger side of Nobles’ vehicle had been elevated on a jack with the wheel removed, and a tool bag was found lying on the ground nearby. Officers then made contact with Davis, who remained at the residence, along with two witnesses.
The first witness reportedly informed police that upon arriving at Davis’ home that Sunday, he discovered Nobles outside in the process of removing a tire from his own vehicle.
According to the witness, Davis and Nobles were acquainted and had a history of prior conflicts between them.
The witness proceeded inside the home and woke Davis, who instructed his grandfather to demand that Nobles leave the property. Upon returning, the grandfather relayed to Davis that it would take Nobles approximately 30 to 60 minutes to complete the repair and vacate the premises.
Davis reportedly responded by directing his grandfather to return and inform Nobles that he had no more than 10 minutes to fix his vehicle and leave.
An argument between Davis and his grandfather ensued over the matter before Davis went outside himself and issued the 10-minute ultimatum directly to Nobles, repeatedly warning him to leave before returning inside to retrieve a firearm. The witness stated that he pursued Davis in an attempt to intervene, and subsequently heard Nobles say, “Come at me” to Davis, followed immediately by the sound of a gunshot.
Davis later told investigators that he had been asleep when the first witness woke him to alert him that Nobles was on the property. Angered by Nobles’ presence, Davis stated that he retrieved his rifle and went outside with the intention of removing the other man from the premises.
Once outside, Davis informed police that a shirtless Nobles approached him in an aggressive manner with both fists clenched at his sides. However, Davis conceded that Nobles was unarmed and had not made any explicit verbal threats. Davis maintained that he had no intention of engaging in a physical altercation with Nobles, which he used to justify firing a single shot into the man’s chest.
In the immediate aftermath of being shot, Nobles reportedly cried out that he was going to die. “Make sure you die slow,” Davis reportedly responded.
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