Galveston man accused of killing girlfriend during 2023 Jeep weekend sentenced to 99 years – Houston Public Media

A Galveston County jury sentenced an Island man to 99 years in prison for shooting and killing his girlfriend Tina Kelley during Jeep Weekend last year, according to the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office.

Raymond Bernard Borden Jr., 47, was arrested for drunk driving in Crystal Beach on May 21, 2023, after officers were flagged down by a woman who said she had been hit by Borden, who was driving his car at the time Girlfriend drove Dodge truck. Officers discovered Kelley’s purse and wallet in the vehicle.

Police determined that Borden’s blood alcohol concentration at the time of his arrest was 0.314, more than three times the legal limit.

Five days later, police conducted a welfare check at Kelley’s home where they discovered her body with eight gunshot wounds.

“Further investigation revealed that Borden had a spent shell casing in his pants pocket and the victim’s blood on his shoes and on the money in his pocket when he was booked into jail for his DWI arrest,” the county attorney’s office said. “The murder weapon was also found in the vehicle Borden was driving when he was arrested.”

Borden pleaded guilty to murdering Kelley. A trial to determine his sentence began last Monday and he was sentenced to 99 years for murder and 10 more years for drunk driving. Prosecutors said Kelly was shot eight times “for no apparent reason.”

According to prosecutors, Borden testified in court documents that he drank daily for several years and had no memory of Kelley’s murder.

“In the closing arguments [Chief Assistant District Attorney Ricque Davis] told the jury that Borden deserved every day of a life sentence in prison when he so brutally and senselessly murdered Kelley,” the office said.

Every year, Jeep Weekend attracts thousands of visitors who flock to the Bolivar Peninsula beach to show off their topless vehicles. But critics of the event say it has turned into a criminal and drunken festival. At this year’s event, one person was shot and nearly 300 people were arrested.

RELATED: 2023 ‘Jeep Weekend’ on Galveston County beaches results in two seriously injured and hundreds of arrests

Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ray Nolen told Houston Public Media last year that many residents of the Bolivar Peninsula, which lies northeast of Galveston Island, are “fed up” with the annual Jeep weekend, as it has grown and expanded to include pickup trucks, four-wheelers, golf carts and other vehicles. Police could not contain the crowd because the event was taking place on a public beach, Nolen said. That’s why the authorities are trying to prepare for the day-long party and manage it as best as possible.

“That’s a lot of social media advertising from one partygoer to the next,” Nolen said. “They talk about, ‘If you want to go to the beach, have fun and be rowdy, come over this weekend.’ And they are coming.”