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On Tuesday, November 3, 2015, William Porter was sentenced to 33 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for the murder of Gerald Oncale Jr. The Oncale murder had remained unsolved for almost 30 years ago. The sentence was handed down, by jury, in the 338th Harris County Criminal District Court. Oncale was 30 years old at the time of his murder
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In April 2013, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit took another look at the case and conducted follow-up investigation on the unsolved Oncale homicide. Additional details of the murder and additional witnesses were developed by investigators.

Investigators learned that Porter invited Oncale to his home and then began to demand payment on a past debt. Porter pointed a gun at Oncale as Oncale was seated on a couch. As Oncale began to stand Porter shot him once in the chest. Oncale died at the scene. For the next hour or more Porter staged the crime scene to give the appearance that Oncale had broken into the home and was killed in the course of a burglary.

Investigators were able to show that the scene had been staged and physical evidence had been removed from the scene by Porter’s attorney, Marshall Shelsy. Shelsy lied to investigators and later to a Harris County grand jury before confessing that he tampered with the crime scene to protect his client. Shelsy was later employed by Harris County, where he would become a legal advisor for the county criminal court judges. After his testimony last week he promptly resigned his position.

Porter has a lengthy criminal history that spans Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Illinois and Missouri. His arrest and convictions included thefts, narcotic possessions, unlawful use of weapons, DWI, homicide, obstruction of justice, assaults, burglary, auto theft, receiving stolen property and resisting arrest.