Madison man sentenced for hitting father-in-law in the head with a baseball bat

MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) - A man from Madison, Mississippi was sentenced to prison Wednesday for hitting his father-in-law in the head with a baseball bat in 2021.

On August 24, 2021, the Madison County Sheriff’s Department was called to a home in the Ashbrooke subdivision regarding a domestic incident, when officials found the then 62-year-old father-in-law with a severe head wound.

John Garran Saxton, then 32 years old, also reportedly slapped his mother-in-law prior to pulling a gun on the father-in-law and later attacking him with a bat.

According to the Madison and Rankin County District Attorney’s Office, Saxton was convicted after a jury trial on October 26, 2022, of one count of aggravated assault.

During a sentencing hearing held Wednesday morning, the victim of the assault and his daughter, who was married to Saxton at the time, spoke and pleaded for substantial prison time for the assault.

They described Saxton’s prior domestic violence and anger issues as well as highlighting the permanent injuries suffered by the victim.

Saxton was sentenced to serve twenty years with the last two years being suspended, leaving 18 years to serve.

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