Cody Glenn Cornell, a 25-year-old male from Temple, Texas, tragically lost his life on March 14, 2018. Cody was born on April 13, 1992, in Brownwood, Texas. He was a beloved son, devoted brother, committed husband, and superb father. Cody grew up in Brownwood, where he attended and graduated from Brownwood High School. After graduation, he attended Tarleton State University.
Cody married his childhood friend Shelby on June 29, 2013, and they had a son named Lincoln George.
On the night of March 14, 2018, Cody Glenn Cornell and 35-year-old Robert Joseph Pellerin III were brutally murdered at the O'Reilly Auto Parts store in Temple, Texas, where they both worked. The suspect, Theodore Dwayne Sims, a 47-year-old former employee of the store, was arrested and charged with capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Sims had been fired from a NAPA Auto Parts store for stealing cash and had purchased a shotgun on the day of the killings. He bound Cody and Robert with duct tape and shot them in their heads before stealing money from the register. Their bodies were found outside the store after their significant others reported them missing.
Theodore Dwayne Sims pleaded guilty to capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the capital murder charge and received 20 years for the aggravated assault. The sentencing brought some measure of justice to the families of the victims, who expressed their grief and anger in the courtroom. The Bell County District Attorney emphasized that the sentencing would lead to safer streets and ensure that Sims would never harm anyone again.
