Gilbert Atkinson, 43, of Blanco County, was sentenced to 25 years in prison last Thursday, October 6, after pleading guilty to the March murder of Ravis Clark, 55.

The trial was set to begin on November 1 in Kendall County.

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a concerned friend at approximately 1:21 am on Saturday, March 26. The friend, whom deputies identified as Atkinson, reported that he had discovered the body of Ravis Clark laying in the bed in his residence in the 300 block of East Headwaters Ranch Road.

The residence is located in the Headwaters Ranch subdivision, just a third of a mile into Kendall County, about 6 miles north of Kendalia, and about 6 miles southwest of Blanco.

The initial investigation by the deputies determined that Clark had been shot while in his bed. Atkinson was arrested on March 30 and booked into Kendall County Jail.

The killing was likely the result of a drug deal gone bad, said a statement issued by the Sheriff’s Office, based on evidence found inside the residence. Atkinson later told authorities he shot Clark in a dispute over a woman with whom they both had a romantic relationship. Clark was shot seven times, an autopsy showed.