Brazos County jury sentences man to prison for shooting death of girlfriend
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A Brazos County jury handed up a life sentence Monday to a man convicted of shooting and killing his 18-year-old on-and-off girlfriend in 2021.
Tarod London claimed the shooting was in self-defense when Roshainah Tompkins suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head. He said Tompkins assaulted him and pointed an AR-15 at him when the two started fighting over the weapon, but the jury rejected London’s story and returned a guilty verdict for murder last week.
Prosecutors say after the shooting, London drove Tompkins’ body back to his apartment in College Station on Copperfield Parkway, and it was there that neighbors notified police after finding a trail of blood that led up to London’s apartment.
Inside, police found her body.
Investigators said London left his apartment in College Station and went to his permanent home in Hempstead.
In the trial, prosecutors presented a meticulous timeline of London’s movements using traffic camera footage and cell tower data from his cell phone to prove that he had driven with her body in his car before disposing of her body inside his apartment.
The jury also heard details of London’s attempt to take a Texas Ranger’s gun and attempted escape from custody during his arrest.
“There is no number of years that will account for the loss of a life, but the jury’s verdict in this case makes the entire Brazos Valley safer,” said Assistant Brazos County District Attorneys Kristin Burns and Ryan Golden in a statement.
They received assistance in the case from Investigators Mike Johse and Victim Assistance Coordinator Melissa Carter, along with the College Station Police Department and Texas Rangers.
