A Solano County Superior Court jury on Wednesday convicted a 35-year-old Vallejo man guilty of killing his girlfriend in 2016.
Troy Lamar Austin heard the 12-member panel’s decision in Department 23 in the Justice Building in Vallejo, that he committed the first-degree murder of Samantha Rhone.
Judge John B. Ellis, who presided over the monthlong trial, then scheduled Austin for a court trial on a prior strike, which, if determined to be true, likely will affect the defendant’s sentencing. The court trial, in which a judge determines the outcome, was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Friday. However, at press time later in the day, official court records had not been posted online.
Court records show Austin and Rhone had been in a dating relationship for approximately five years, during which time the victim had suffered other episodes of domestic violence, according to Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams, whose office issued a press release late Thursday.
On the night of the murder, May 19, several people in the Wallace Avenue area in Vallejo heard a female screaming for help and what sounded like hitting noises.
Two people looked out their second-story windows and saw the defendant attacking Rhone. They saw him “kick and stomp on her upwards of 20 times as she lay there going in and out of consciousness,” according to wording in the prepared statement.
All of the people called 911. Vallejo police officers arrived on scene, and the defendant fled.
As officers arrived, Rhone continued to go in and out of consciousness but was able to tell the officers that Austin had beaten her. She was rushed to the hospital. Emergency surgery was performed, but, due to the extent of internal bleeding from blunt force trauma, she died of her injuries.
Austin was found hiding in a neighbor’s backyard. Upon being arrested he provided a false name. Austin admitted he “went psycho” and beat Rhone because “she did not listen,” the news release indicated.
County DA officials say Austin has been in custody in Solano County since the murder. He was declared incompetent to stand trial on June 23, 2022, but was determined to be competent, that is, able to help in his defense, on Dec. 29, 2023. Criminal proceedings were reinstated.
Vallejo criminal defense attorney Dustin Gordon represented Austin, who remains in the Stanton Correctional Facility in Fairfield, where he awaits the outcome of the prior strike court trial and a sentencing date.
Deputy District Attorney Ilana Shapiro led the prosecution. Robert Greenberg was the lead DA investigator.
If you — or someone you know — has been a victim of domestic violence and need an advocate, telephone (707) 784-6827, Abrams, Solano County’s chief law enforcement officer and longtime advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, noted in the statement.
Austin’s verdict comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, October.
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