An 18-year-old who nearly bled to death at a rural Jasper County graduation party in May 2024 is expected to take the witness stand this week as the man accused of stabbing him stands trial. Lucas Stewart suffered life-threatening wounds to his heart and stomach after being stabbed twice in the left side of his chest and abdomen, and he required emergency surgery so extensive that surgeons made an incision extending from his throat to his groin to repair the damage.
The trial of 20-year-old Rylan Joe Byrd got underway in Jasper County this week, with jury selection held Monday and opening testimony beginning Tuesday, according to Fox 4 Beaumont. Byrd is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and is being tried in Judge Craig Mixson's court, which oversees the 1st Judicial District in Jasper County, per the Texas Office of Court Administration. Assistant District Attorney Daniel Boyd is serving as first chair for the prosecution, with District Attorney John Burt serving beside him, while defense attorneys Matt Morian and Billy Morian represent Byrd.
A Graduation Celebration Turns Violent
The case centers on a May 2024 graduation celebration west of Jasper that erupted into violence at Tommy Street's home on Farm Road 777, according to the Fox 4 Beaumont report. Witnesses said alcohol was being consumed at the party, and two women testified about an earlier hot-tub incident involving nine longtime friends. Witnesses also said Byrd was getting too close to two women before things escalated.
An arrest affidavit reported by 12NewsNow lays out a clearer sequence: the stabbing followed two distinct physical altercations, with a witness breaking up the initial fight before Byrd pulled a knife during a second confrontation. Someone yelled that Byrd had a knife, and partygoer Jackson Fowler physically intervened, wrestling the weapon away from Byrd after Stewart had already been stabbed in the left chest, the affidavit states.
Bystanders Try to Save Stewart's Life
After the stabbing, partygoers placed Stewart in a pool chair and pressed towels against his wounds as they waited for help. Several witnesses reported hearing Byrd say that Stewart got what he deserved, according to the Fox 4 Beaumont account, while other witnesses said Byrd stated he did not mean to do it and was sorry, and that he appeared emotional after the attack. Court records cited by the 12NewsNow report state that Byrd remained briefly at the property and told a witness, he was bigger than me, before leaving the party. Byrd then drove away towing his boat, stopped at Whataburger, and returned with food before ultimately turning himself in to the Jasper County Sheriff's Office two days later, on May 20, 2024.
A Race Against Time to Beaumont
Stewart was rushed to CHRISTUS Jasper Memorial Hospital, arriving pale, limp and nonresponsive. The Jasper facility is a 59-bed rural hospital operating as a state-designated Level IV trauma center, according to the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, meaning it is built primarily for stabilizing patients rather than performing advanced surgery. Because of that, medical personnel administered blood and prepared Stewart for transfer roughly 65 miles away to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, the region's Level III trauma center with advanced surgical capabilities.
Dr. Allen Aguillard treated Stewart once he arrived in Beaumont, where he required extensive emergency surgery, and surgeons ultimately repaired injuries to his heart and stomach. Stewart asked medical personnel to pray with him to live as he fought for his life, per the Fox 4 Beaumont report. His mother, Kristie Stewart, and her husband followed their son's ambulance from Jasper to Beaumont as he was transferred for the emergency operation.
Legal Stakes as Trial Proceeds
Byrd was released after posting a $100,000 bond days after the stabbing. If convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, he could face 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Under Texas Penal Code Section 22.02, that range reflects the statutory penalty for a second-degree felony, according to the Texas Penal Code. The charge would only escalate to a first-degree felony carrying 5 to 99 years or life in prison in narrower circumstances, such as an assault against a public servant or domestic partner, according to legal reference site Versus Texas. A knife qualifies as a deadly weapon under Texas Penal Code Section 1.07(a)(17), which defines the term as any object capable of causing death or serious bodily injury in the manner of its use.
Stewart is expected to testify in the trial as proceedings continue in Jasper County this week. Witnesses have described at least two physical altercations at the party before the stabbing, and jurors are now weighing competing accounts of what happened in the moments before Byrd pulled the knife.
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