Jeffrey Bryan McLaughlin a Husband of former prosecutor Venisa McLaughlin charged in her murder

By Edward Era Barbacena

The husband of a former assistant county prosecutor who assisted with the issuance of protective orders and took many of those cases to court was arrested for her murder on New Year’s Day.

Sheriff Roger Deeds confirmed Sunday afternoon that the murder victim was Venisa McLaughlin.

Her husband, a white man Jeffrey Bryan McLaughlin, 58, of 6103 Westover Dr. in Pecan Plantation, was arrested on a charge of first-degree felony murder and booked into the Hood County Jail just before 2 p.m. Sunday.

Deeds said that his investigators were going over evidence and that McLaughlin’s bond would not be set until Monday morning.

He provided no details about the circumstances surrounding Venisa’s death.

“We are still actively investigating this call,” Deeds told the Hood County News.

County Attorney Matt Mills confirmed that Venisa worked in his office as an assistant county attorney. He said that in addition to working protective order cases, she handled justice of the peace courts, mental commitments, and various other duties.

He said that she was on staff when he first took office six years ago and that she left “on friendly terms” around the end of April.

Mills said that he heard of Venisa’s death Sunday morning. He called the situation “very tragic.”

“This is a really big loss for our office, even though she (no longer worked there),” he stated in a text message to the HCN.