Serial Rapist Sentenced to 99 Years for Sexual Assault Following Investigation by HSI Houston, State and Local Partners

HOUSTON — A serial rapist who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault for raping a woman at knifepoint 11 years ago has been sentenced to return to prison for 99 years for raping a woman at gunpoint in 2021.

The multiagency investigation that led to the nearly century-long prison sentence was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division and the Houston Police Department.

Morris Lamour Holton III, a 39-year-old resident of Houston, was sentenced June 20 in Harris County to 99 years in state prison and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine for aggravated sexual assault. Holton was convicted by a jury earlier this month.

“This convicted sex offender brutally raped and robbed multiple women, including a 16-year-old minor, without displaying any remorse for the mental, physical and psychological damage that he inflicted on his victims,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson. “Thanks to the selfless bravery of one of his victims, who worked with investigators to identify him, we were able to successfully arrest him and ensure he remains behind bars for a long time.”

In 2020, Holton was released from prison after serving seven years for the 2011 rape. Following his release, he began to contact women he found through online advertisements, and he would pose as a customer to gain their trust. After he had their trust, he would insist on meeting them in person at a motel or at their house, where he would rob and rape them at gunpoint.

Authorities were able to successfully identify Holton after one of his victims identified him after he reached out to her on social media days after he had sexually assaulted her.

The incident that led to his most recent conviction occurred in March 2021, when he contacted a massage therapist and arranged to go to her home for a massage. When he arrived, he threatened her with a loaded gun, bound her wrists and ankles with zip ties and sexually assaulted her.

Jurors also heard about three other victims Holton is alleged to have sexually assaulted in a similar fashion, including a 16-year-old minor.

Holton must serve at least 30 years of his sentence before he will be eligible for parole.

For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to aggressively investigate child exploitation and violent crime in Southeast Texas follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSIHouston.