Joseph Harrell attacking Nhung Troung and mug shot (Houston Police Department)
An 18-year-old man in Texas may spend three decades behind bars for his role in three violent robberies, one of which included him being caught on video body-slamming a woman to the ground, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
Harris County District Court Judge Kristin M. Guiney on Thursday sentenced Joseph Harrell to 30 years in a state correctional facility for the attack on 41-year-old Nhung Troung, authorities announced.
Harrell pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated robbery causing serious bodily injury for the February 2023 so-called “jugging” attack that left Troung in a wheelchair.
According to a press release from Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, “jugging” refers to a situation in which a criminal watches a customer at a bank, ATM, credit union, or shopping area, then follows that person to a second location and steals their money or valuables.
In exchange for pleading to the robbery charge, prosecutors agreed to drop two other charges in connection with the robbery, including one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon initially charged against Harrell. He will be required to serve at least 15 years of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
“People should feel safe in our community and not have to worry about looking over their shoulders whenever they go to the bank or run errands,” Ogg said in a statement following the sentencing hearing. “Our organized crime division was ready and willing to go to trial and that is why this defendant decided to plead guilty.”
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Harrell’s accomplice in the attack, 19-year-old Zy’Nika Woods, was also arrested and charged with aggravated robbery causing serious bodily injury in the attack on Troung. She pleaded guilty to a downgraded charge of robbery causing bodily injury and agreed to testify against Harrell. She is out on $50,000 bond awaiting her sentencing hearing which is set for Oct. 24.
Truong went to the Bank of America at 9875 Blackhawk Boulevard on Feb. 13 and withdrew a large sum of money for an upcoming trip then drove 24 miles to the 9800 block of Bellaire Boulevard. Woods and Harrell followed her the entire 24 miles waiting to rob her, authorities said.
In surveillance footage of the attack, Harrell can be seen grabbing and struggling with Troung, who tries to run away. Troung then drops several items, including an envelope filled with cash. She picks it up and attempts to flee, but Harrell grabs her from behind, picks her up, and slams her to the ground before fleeing.
“In fact, when I saw it [the video], just made me mad as hell,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a press conference following Harrell’s arrest. “Slammed her down like she was a bag of potatoes.”
Troung suffered several cracked ribs and a spinal injury that paralyzed her legs.
“She was going about her daily routine and had taken money out of the bank to go see her family in Vietnam, and that’s when he attacked,” Assistant District Attorney Sean Kozar-King, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement Thursday. “He not only stole a significant amount of money, but he paralyzed her, maybe forever. It’s still unclear how long she will be in a wheelchair.”
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