Hardin County jury convicts Texas man of first degree murder

Jeremy Byram, 29, of Abilene, Texas, was found guilty Tuesday afternoon of first degree murder in the shotgun slaying of Brian Diss in October 2020.
Diss was found dead in a small one-room shack he had moved into in Hardin County, where as described by himself on social media and a close relative, he wanted to “get off the grid” and enjoy the peaceful solitude of nature.
Diss had a shotgun blast to his abdomen, as well as wounds to his throat and shoulder.
Investigators quickly determined Byram to be a suspect, and discovered he had fled the area.
Based on an alert issued by Hardin County Sheriff’s Department investigators, Byram was apprehended in Illinois by Illinois state troopers the next morning.
A court official said it took the jury “less than 20 minutes” to return the guilty verdict in the one day trial.
Byram was immediately sentenced to life imprisonment, which is mandatory under state law. If or when Byram may be eligible for parole was not able to be immediately determined.
(Ed. note: Further details to come in an upcoming print edition.)