By Kevin Jefferies
Hunt County – A man found guilty in a Quinlan-area murder has been given 50 years in prison. Cory Joe Locke was sentenced Friday in the murder of Michael Patrick Bates. Locke was one of three people charged in the June 2005 death of Bates. Dena Waldon and Paul Russell Jr. have also been indicted on charges of murder, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated robbery. Russell has trial pending. Waldon agreed to testify against Russell and Locke for a guilty plea on the aggravated robbery charge and a probated sentence.
29 year old Locke also received 20 years each for aggravated robbery and kidnapping and 10 years for burglary. It will be 25 years before he is eligible for parole on the murder charge.