Joshua Sinclair Owens, 35, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to three felonies, including the 2008 murder of Marsha Lynn Mitchell and orchestrating a drug-smuggling operation in the Harris County Jail, authorities announced Wednesday.

Owens, a repeat offender, was linked to Mitchell’s strangulation death through a DNA match in the FBI’s CODIS database. He was charged with the crime in 2023, 15 years after the murder.

While awaiting trial, Owens ran a drug-selling scheme inside the jail, amassing nearly $30,000 in his commissary account. In addition to the murder and drug trafficking charges, Owens also pleaded guilty to assaulting a girlfriend in 2022. He was sentenced to 50 years for each crime, with the sentences running concurrently.

Assistant District Attorney Sepi Zimmer emphasized that justice can still be served in cold cases. ADA Kimberly Smith, who led the jail smuggling case, warned inmates that smuggling contraband is a serious crime with severe penalties. Owens cannot appeal any of his convictions or sentences.