Houston man sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend's brother in front of his kids

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 28-year-old Houston man was sentenced to life in prison for killing his girlfriend's brother, who was trying to protect her from domestic abuse, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Saturday.

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Kempsha L. Wilson was sentenced after five days of trial for fatally shooting 32-year-old Spencer Nichols on Feb. 15, 2022.

Officials said that on Valentine's Day, the day before the shooting, Wilson and his girlfriend got into an argument about him contacting another woman. Testimony showed that Wilson choked and beat his girlfriend during the fight.

Authorities reported that in response to Wilson's violence, his girlfriend pulled out a gun and fired at him, but did not hit him. Authorities said she did this to get Wilson out of her apartment and then texted Nichols, her brother, for help.

When Nichols arrived, the DA's office said Wilson returned to the apartment with an AK-47-style assault rifle and threatened her and her brother.

Authorities said Nichols was able to get Wilson to leave and then took his sister and her two young daughters to his home for the night for their protection.

The next day, the woman, her daughters, Nichols, and Nichol's three children went back to the apartment.

While inside, the DA's office reported that Wilson showed up at the apartment with a handgun and at least two other armed men. The woman grabbed her gun for self-defense, but Wilson took it from her.

The DA's office said that with a pistol in each hand, Wilson confronted Nichols and pistol-whipped him. He then put one of the guns to Nichols' chest and fired, killing him in front of his three kids. Wilson and the men he was with then fled the scene.

"Domestic violence doesn't just affect the person who is being abused, it affects the entire family," Ogg said. "All too often domestic violence escalates to murder, and this case shows that a family member can lose their life just trying to help someone else get out of an abusive relationship."

Detectives with the Homicide Division of the Houston Police Department investigated the shooting and charged Wilson, who was arrested nine days later.

Assistant District Attorneys Jason Campo, who prosecuted the case noted that Wilson's criminal history includes going to prison three times before this murder.

"The victim was just trying to be a good big brother by defending his sister, and it cost him his life," Campo said. "The defendant has already had several second chances and continues to hurt people, so the jury agreed that he needed to be in prison for life."