Houston man sentenced to life in murders of two women

HOUSTON, Texas (KWTX) - A former Houston security guard has been sentenced to life in connection to the murders of two women.

Steven Hobbs, 51, pleaded guilty for murder when used his job as an armed security guard to hunt women in remote east Harris County.

On the eve of trial, Hobbs pleaded to the reduced charge of murder from capital murder in the death of Sara Sanford and to murder in the death of Patricia Pyatt.

(left to right) Patricia Pyatt and Sara Sanford(Courtesy Photo)

The agreement ensures that Hobbs is not only convicted, but locked away for what will likely be the remainder of his life.

In 2002, Hobbs beat and strangled Pyatt before dumping her body in the San Jacinto River; in the same area in 2010, he handcuffed Sanford’s arms and legs, then joined them together with another set of cuffs before shooting her in the head.

He has been jailed since his arrest in 2011, making him the longest-serving inmate of the Harris County Jail.

Under the terms of his plea agreement, Hobbs gets credit for the 10 years he has already been jailed.

He will serve 20 years more for the first murder, then 30 for the second, making him eligible for parole at 101 years old.

During an earlier hearing, prosecutors Sara Seely and Jennifer Meriwether said Hobbs had applied for a job with a small local police department before his arrest and that several women who were attacked but survived were on their list of witnesses to be called to testify during the trial.

“This is finally closure for all the families and the victims,” Meriwether said. “I think that’s important so that we can move our resources on to other cases and keep working to remove the case backlog. But most of all, this is for the victims.”