Cody Pritchard Sentenced to Death for Killing Deputy Bosecker

Cody Pritchard was sentenced to death on January 23, 2026, after an Eastland County jury found him guilty of capital murder for shooting and killing Deputy David Bosecker of the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office on July 21, 2023.¹ It was the first death sentence handed down in Eastland County in the modern era of capital punishment in Texas.²

What Happened the Night of the Shooting

Around 9:00 p.m. on July 21, 2023, the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office dispatched deputies to a domestic disturbance at a home on U.S. Highway 183 between Cisco and Rising Star.³ Deputy Bosecker was the first to arrive.⁴

As Bosecker pulled up, Pritchard crashed a vehicle into the deputy’s patrol unit and opened fire. Bosecker was pronounced dead at the scene.⁵ Other deputies arrived within minutes and took Pritchard into custody before anyone else was hurt.⁶ Court records later showed that Pritchard admitted to the crimes.⁷

The Capital Murder Charge

Pritchard, then 42, was booked into the Stephens County Jail and held without bond on a charge of capital murder of a peace officer. The Texas Rangers led the investigation.⁸⁹

Under Texas Penal Code § 19.03, killing a peace officer acting in the lawful discharge of an official duty is a capital felony. The statute requires that the defendant knew the victim was a peace officer, and knowledge is presumed if the officer was wearing a distinctive uniform or badge.¹⁰

The Trial and Sentence

The trial took place in Eastland County more than two years after the shooting and ran roughly two weeks.³ On January 23, 2026, the jury returned a guilty verdict and imposed the death penalty.¹

Eastland County Sheriff Jason Weger said in a statement after the verdict: “On July 21, 2023, our county lost one of its own when Deputy David Bosecker was murdered while responding to a domestic violence call. He was doing exactly what he was sworn to do — protect others — when his life was taken by Cody Pritchard.” Weger added, “No verdict and no sentence can ever replace a husband, a father, a son, or a friend. But today brings accountability, and it brings the closing of a chapter that has weighed heavily on so many.”⁵

Where Pritchard Is Now

Pritchard was transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility in Huntsville immediately after sentencing.⁵ TDCJ lists him on its death row roster as inmate number 999639. The intake record describes him as an Eastland County native who worked as a welder, completed a high school education, and had no prior prison record.¹¹

Who Deputy Bosecker Was

David Bosecker was 57 and had spent 21 years in law enforcement. He had worked for the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Comanche Police Department, and the Cisco Police Department, where he handled marine enforcement part-time. He had been with the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office for two years at the time of his death. Before his law enforcement career he served in the United States Marine Corps.⁴

1
Brownwood News. Pritchard Receives Death Penalty for Murder of Peace Officer Between Rising Star, Cisco
2
Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Texas Death Penalty Facts
3
Big Country Homepage. Death Sentence Handed Down in Fatal Shooting of Eastland County Deputy
4
Officer Down Memorial Page. Deputy Sheriff David Bosecker
5
KTXS. Death Penalty for Eastland County Deputy Killer
6
Police1. Texas Deputy Shot, Killed While Responding to Domestic Fight Call
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News 4 San Antonio. Eastland County Sheriff’s Deputy Fallen in the Line of Duty
8
Big Country Homepage. Suspect in Fatal Shooting of Eastland County Sheriff Deputy Booked for Capital Murder, Arraignment Pending
9
Breckenridge Texan. Suspect Booked Into Stephens County Jail on Capital Murder Charges Related to Death of Eastland County Deputy
10
FindLaw. Texas Penal Code § 19.03 – Capital Murder
11
Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Death Row Information – Cody Douglas Pritchard