Jury acquits Luling Man in 2022 fatal stabbing death

By Anthony Collins

LPR Editor                                      

     After four hours of deliberation, a jury composed of eight women and four men found Joseph Anderson III, of Luling, not guilty in the April 2022 stabbing death of William “Tommy” Chesser.

    The verdict was delivered late Friday afternoon in Caldwell County District Court, concluding a closely watched trial stemming from what prosecutors described as a fatal road rage confrontation in Lockhart more than three years ago.

    According to court testimony and police reports, the stabbing occurred on April 21, 2022, at 1100 State Park Road in Lockhart. Investigators said a confrontation between Anderson and Chesser escalated quickly after a traffic dispute, ending when Chesser, 56, was stabbed once in the chest. He was transported to Seton Hospital in Kyle, where he later died from his injuries.

   Police said Anderson fled the scene immediately after the incident but later turned himself in to the Lockhart Police Department, where he was arrested and charged with murder.

   During the three-day trial, prosecutors argued that Anderson’s actions were deliberate, describing the stabbing as an unjustified act of violence fueled by anger. The defense countered that Anderson acted in self-defense, claiming Chesser was the aggressor and that Anderson feared for his life when the altercation turned physical.