A Houston man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2024 fatal shooting of his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend, closing out a long-running domestic violence case that haunted her family for more than a year.
Court records show that Algie Mac Washington received the 30-year sentence on Wednesday, according to FOX 26 Houston. The term was formally entered into the court docket as part of his murder conviction in the killing of Jaynice Ferguson.
How Investigators Say The Shooting Unfolded
Houston police say officers responded to a shooting call at an apartment complex in the 3400 block of Dunvale Street, where they found Ferguson unresponsive. She was rushed to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and later pronounced dead, according to the department.
A medical report indicated that a bullet had struck her femoral artery, a catastrophic injury that can cause a person to bleed out in minutes, KPRC Click2Houston reported. Investigators recovered multiple fired casings at the scene. The Houston Police Department says detectives later developed leads that identified a person of interest and led to Washington's arrest.
Alleged History Of Abuse
Court records and local reporting indicate that the violence did not come out of nowhere. Washington had been accused of assaulting Ferguson on multiple prior occasions, with convictions that included aggravated assault and other family-violence offenses, ABC13 reported.
Family members told reporters that Ferguson repeatedly sought help as the relationship deteriorated and that Washington allegedly threatened relatives with the chilling line, "If I can't have her, then nobody can," according to the local coverage cited by ABC13.
Sentence And Wider Context
Advocates say Ferguson's death tracks with a familiar and deadly pattern in intimate partner violence, where persistent stalking, strangulation and easy access to firearms can escalate from repeated abuse to a fatal attack. The Texas Council on Family Violence included Ferguson in its 2024 victim narratives documenting similar cases across the state, according to the TCFV.
While advocates focus on those broader warning signs, FOX 26 Houston notes that the 30-year prison term for Washington was formally imposed on Wednesday.
What Happens Next
The Houston Police Department's initial release states that the murder charge was filed in the 176th State District Court, where the case has now moved from trial to post-conviction status. Court dockets will log any post-trial motions or appeals that Washington's defense team may file.
For the moment, the sentence completes the county-level trial process. In serious felony cases like this one, it is common for defense lawyers to pursue post-trial filings and appellate review, so the legal battle may not be entirely over even as Ferguson's family confronts the finality of the verdict.
