Richland Hills man pleads guilty to murder of 8-year-old grandson, gets 35 years in prison

A 63-year-old man accused of killing his grandson in January 2023 pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 35 years in prison, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells said in a social media post Tuesday.

Brenym McDonald, 8, was found dead in his Richland Hills home on the morning of Jan. 1, 2023.

His death was ruled a homicide and he suffered “sharp force injuries to his neck and chest,” according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Phillip Hughes, the child’s grandfather, was found about a block away from the house and was taken into custody without incident, police said. Hughes was initially charged with capital murder of a person under 10 years old.

The boy lived in a home in the 3500 block of Labadie Drive along with his grandfather and other relatives, Richland Hills police said. Someone in the home called 911.

Police also found the suspected murder weapon, according to Sheena McEachran, a Richland Hills spokeswoman.

Richland Hills police did not release information on a motive for the killing.

Family friend Maddox Sullivan described Brenym as smart, enthusiastic, always smiling and with the biggest heart.

“There wasn’t a single room he couldn’t light up with his smile, or a story he couldn’t tell you that would make you laugh,” Sullivan wrote on a GoFundMe account for the boy’s family. “A mother does not ever expect to have to bury their own child. We’re all devastated by this tragic event and not prepared for his unexpected passing.”

The 8-year-old was a student in the Birdville school district.

Hughes had a previous criminal conviction in Tarrant County for driving while intoxicated in 2020, for which he was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but no other prior criminal record, according to court records.