CALDWELL MAN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS FOR KILLING STEPBROTHER

  

A Caldwell man accused of shooting and killing his stepbrother in Brazos County in 2016 has been sentenced to ten years in prison for manslaughter.

53-year-old Rod Sterling Clanton pleaded guilty November 15^th to the second-degree felony charge, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and $10,000 in fines.  Clanton was sentenced by Judge Kyle Hawthorne of the 85^th District Court.

Clanton is accused of killing 54-year-old Stephen Craig Bishop of Bogata in December of 2016. Authorities said Clanton had lent money to one of Bishop’s nephews several months beforehand.  They said he demanded he be repaid, and made threats of what would happen if he wasn’t.

After a 911 call from Clanton, investigators found Bishop in his truck at OSR and Highway 21 in Bryan, with a single gunshot wound to his head.

According to the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, Clanton told them that Bishop had shown a weapon during an argument between the two of them, so Clanton grabbed his. Clanton told authorities he remembered pointing the gun at Bishop, but blacked out and did not recall pulling the trigger.  He was reported to be cooperative and surrendered to authorities.

Clanton was re-arrested in January in Brazos County while out on bond, after he was accused of making terroristic threats against a family member. A warrant for Clanton’s arrest on the charge had been issued by the Real County Sheriff’s Office.

Although bond was revoked for Clanton in February, Brazos County jail records show he was released from custody in April on a $100,000 bond.