WilCo man takes plea deal for 2023 murder; victim's mother addresses him in court

WilCo man gets plea deal for 2023 murder

A man has taken a plea deal for murdering his friend in 2023 and dumping his body in a different county. The hearing was also the first time the victim's mother addressed the suspect in court.

ROUND ROCK, Texas - A man has taken a plea deal for murdering his friend in 2023 and dumping his body in a different county. 

The hearing was also the first time the victim's mother addressed the suspect in court. 

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Mother remembers son shot and killed by friend in 2023; suspect's plea hearing rescheduled

The man accused of killing his friend and then dumping his body in another county two years ago has had his plea hearing rescheduled.

The backstory:

On Oct. 5, 2023, Round Rock police say Shawn Joseph, 30, was shot in a Walmart parking lot on East Palm Valley Boulevard, and then his body was dumped in Milam County. He wasn't found for 12 days. 

The suspect, Royce Loggins, pleaded guilty on Sept. 15, taking a deal for 40 years in prison for the murder charge, with the tampering with a corpse charge dropped. He gets credit for the nearly two years he's already been in jail.

Joseph's mother, Bridget McCarty, thinks he should've had a harsher sentence. 

"Do I feel that he got justice? No. I think all those charges should've been brought up against him. 40 years is nothing, but I got something," she said. "I wanted him to have life in prison without the possibility of parole."

Family of victim wants harsher sentence for murder suspect

A man accused of shooting his friend and dumping his body in a different county in 2023 was scheduled to have a plea hearing Friday, but that has been rescheduled.?

During the plea hearing, Loggins' defense attorney said there was a period of time when her client was incompetent with hallucinations, but he became competent after treatment. 

Loggins spoke very softly as he pleaded guilty and answered the judge's questions.

The defense also provided McCarty with a letter where he accepted responsibility and apologized for what happened. 

McCarty made a victim impact statement in court. 

"My thing was to come out there, let him see what I had to say, let him see a strong person, let him see Shawn's mama," she said.

In her statement, she told Loggins how his action left a void in their hearts. She says he's known her son since he was 14, and Joseph showed him kindness. She says now she doesn't recognize herself, and the world feels scarier. She added that no matter how much time Loggins serves, her son is still gone. 

"Shawn was a person that made everybody laugh. He was a person that could walk into a room and change the atmosphere. His nieces and nephews loved him," she told FOX 7 afterward. "He always wanted his name to be in light, he used to rap, but I'm going to make damn sure that his name is in light, they will never forget Shawn J." 

Body of missing Cedar Park man found

Round Rock police say they have found the body of a missing Cedar Park man who was shot in a Walmart parking lot.

At one point in the victim impact statement, McCarty told Loggins, "you've been reduced to nothing."

Then, one of Loggins' family members started shouting, and she had to be escorted out.

FOX 7 reached out to Loggins' defense attorney to see if she wanted to say anything on his behalf, but we have not heard back.

McCarty also expressed her gratitude to all the agencies that helped in the case. 

"I do want to thank the Round Rock Police Department, Milam County Sheriff's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and Rangers, and the air unit, the FBI, Texas Search and Rescue, the Williamson County Sheriff's Office and last but certainly not least Sergeant Blake, he's been my rock from day one, up until still right now," she said.