DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - A jury has sentenced machete murder suspect Thomas Johnson to life in prison.
The state got what it wanted for former Texas A&M football star Thomas Johnson, locked up for life for the October 2015 machete-hacking-death of White Rock Trail jogger David Stevens.
Prosecutor Justin McCants said it's undisputed that Johnson suffers from schizophrenia, but says the jury has to protect the community.
READ MORE: Machete Murderer Thomas Johnson
The jury only deliberated for 15 minutes before finding Johnson guilty on Tuesday.
Police say a cyclist witnessed Johnson chopping at Stevens' prone body with a machete on White Rock Creek Trail in East Dallas, and that the former wide receiver later confessed to killing the 53-year-old mechanical engineer.
The witnesses to the murder say Johnson had "evil in his eyes" and repeatedly said he had killed a man.