GUILTY TX - Dominic Castro, 3, killed for jumping on the bed, Clay County, 18 May 2016

A North Texas man has been charged in the fatal shooting of his 3-year-old stepson while allegedly trying to stop the boy from jumping on a bed.

Clay County jail records show 18-year-old George Coty Wayman of Bellevue was being held Thursday on capital murder and criminal trespass charges.

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Dominic Tra'Juan Castro died Wednesday at a Wichita Falls hospital.

An affidavit says several people were at the home during the shooting. Sheriff Kenny Lemons says Wayman was charged after evidence didn't match witness statements.

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Initially, witnesses told investigators the boy was jumping on the bed and and caused a gun on the bed to accidentally discharge.

Officials say subsequent interviews revealed George Coty Wayman pointed the gun at the boy and told him if he didn’t stop jumping on the bed he would shoot him, and he fired the gun and struck the boy in the back of the head.

They say evidence in the bedroom of the trailer corroborates the witness’s account.

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Sheriff Lemons says at this time no additional charges are expected on witnesses who may have given false information or obstructed the investigation.

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Family and friends gathered in Olney [on Wednesday, May 25] to celebrate the short life and mourn the loss of 3-year-old Dominic Castro, who was shot in the head last week.

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Lori White, a friend of Dominic Castro's family, said to see him lose his life so young in such an unthinkable and preventable way is heart-breaking for her.

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White said she's known Dominic his entire short life, and he was a care free, happy little boy.

"He was a sweet, fun loving, just the sweetest little boy you ever want to come across," White said. "I mean he was just so sweet. He never knew a stranger. He was just always 'huggy' 'lovey.' You know, what you would expect from a 3-year-old."

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The 18-year-old man who authorities say shot his 3-year-old stepson in the back of the head in May is now indicted for capital murder. George Coty Wayman shot Dominic Castro on the afternoon of May 18th in a trailer in Buffalo Springs.

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At Dominic's funeral a family friend described him as being a fun- loving and sweet little boy who loved hugs and who never knew a stranger. In Texas, a capital murder conviction can carry a death penalty sentence if prosecutors chose to pursue it.

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An Olney man charged with capital murder for the shooting death of a young boy is now sentenced to life in prison, after taking a plea deal Thursday.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office said George Coty Wayman pleaded guilty to capital murder of a person under 10 years of age, and was sentenced to life.

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LietKynes said:

Isn't "life in prison" these days about 25 years or less ?
This perp makes me nauseous.

Rest and fly with the angels, cute little Dominic !!!

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Wayman will be required to serve a minimum prison sentence of 30 years before becoming eligible for parole, Williams said. Still, the likelihood of Wayman being paroled after only 30 years is "extremely unlikely," she said. Clay County prosecutors had left the death penalty on the table in the weeks leading up to the agreement.

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