DALLAS COUNTY, Texas - A Dallas County jury has convicted Matthew Timothy Davis White, 43, of the first-degree felony of Sexual Assault of a Child with Prohibited Person, a charge that encompasses incestuous conduct, and sentenced him to 15 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The conviction, handed down on September 11, 2025, followed a trial that exposed a lengthy history of violence and abuse against multiple family members.
The offense stemmed from incidents beginning in November 2020, when the defendant began sexually abusing his daughter after she turned 15. This abuse was the culmination of years of physical and emotional trauma inflicted upon multiple children and their mother. The jury’s guilty verdict and subsequent sentence were rendered despite White having no prior felony convictions.
Punishment Phase Reveals Pattern of Abuse
The severity of the sentence was informed by compelling evidence presented by the prosecution team, Assistant Criminal District Attorneys Michelle Shughart and Amanda Boylan, during the punishment phase of the trial. The evidence painted a disturbing portrait of Matthew White’s conduct, demonstrating a pattern of escalating violence and predatory behavior that spanned almost two decades across multiple states.
The extraneous offenses introduced included:
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Physical Violence: Evidence showed that White was regularly violent with his children between 2004 and 2021 in both Dallas County, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana.
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Violent Threats: Specific instances of extreme violence were detailed, including a time when the defendant pushed the minor victim against a wall and held a knife to her neck. In another disturbing instance, White reportedly instructed the victim, his daughter, to choke her sisters with a scarf, which she refused.
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Sexual Abuse as Retaliation: The sexual abuse itself was described as a regular occurrence in 2020 and 2021, where White would routinely wake his daughter up at night to sexually assault her.
Judicial Findings and Community Safety
Further evidence presented included a September 12, 2023, final decree of divorce in Dallas County, where the presiding judge made an explicit finding that White had a history or pattern of committing family violence during the two-year period preceding the filing of the suit. Consequently, the court deemed it not to be in the best interest of the children for White to be named a Possessory Conservator, specifically prohibiting him from attending school activities and ordering that he have no access to any minor children.
The charge of Sexual Assault of a Child with Prohibited Person is categorized as a First-Degree Felony under Texas law, carrying a potential punishment of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 99 years, or life. Although the jury had the option to impose a fine up to $10,000, they chose to not impose a fine. Despite his long history of violence and sexual abuse, the jury went with a 15-year sentence.
The case was diligently investigated by the Dallas Police Department and supported by the DA’s office team, including Investigator Tomicka McCloud and Victim Advocate Audri Graham. The efforts of the prosecution aimed to secure justice for the victim and protect the community from a convicted family violence and sexual predator.
