The office of District Attorney Micheal Murray issued the following press release Friday morning:

Pablo Figueroa, 62, pled guilty to three offenses Thursday – capital murder, aggravated rape and aggravated robbery – for the 1981 murder of Donna Mae Inlow. Figueroa received three consecutive life sentences in prison. Figueroa also waived all right to appeal his conviction as part of the agreement.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation of the murder, which occurred in 1981 at the Inlow Shoe Store. Modern DNA was used by the Department of Public Safety to match Figueroa’s DNA with DNA that was left at the scene.

Figueroa’s sentences on the three cases reflect the seriousness of the offenses, and were structured to account for the different laws in effect in 1981.

District Attorney Micheal Murray said that prosecuting a case that was committed over 40 years prior posed unique challenges. Attorneys Natalie Tise and Matthew Ottoway, from the Attorney General’s Office, assistant Murray and First Assistant District Attorney Elisha Bird in preparing the case for trial. Murray said achieving justice for the community on a case this old was historic and a solemn moment for his office.

Texas Ranger Jason Shea was able to solve the cold case and located Figueroa being held in federal custody for a separate crime.

Murray would like to thank the multiple agencies involved both over the many year of the investigation, and currently in preparation for the case for their diligence in working toward achieving a resolution in this case: Brownwood Police Department, the Texas Rangers, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, and all of the employees from the District Attorney’s Office who have worked tirelessly on this case.