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Murder of Paul Broussard

SOLVED1991Montrose neighborhood, Houston, Texas3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Real.tex.mex — location anchor for the case
Real.tex.mex — location anchor for the case — Credit: CC0

Paul Broussard, a 27-year-old Houston-area banker and Texas A&M alumnus, was attacked in a parking lot in Houston's Montrose neighborhood just after 2:00 a.m. on July 4, 1991. He was walking with friends Cary Anderson and Richard Delaunay when they encountered ten youths from the suburb of The Woodlands — nine teenagers aged 15 to 17 and one 22-year-old — who had been drinking and using drugs and had been turned away from several Montrose clubs. The group asked Broussard and his friends for directions before attacking them with fists, steel-toed boots, bear claws, and a pocket knife wielded by 17-year-old Jon Buice. Broussard suffered abrasions, puncture wounds, a broken rib, bruised testicles, and two stab wounds; as he lay on the ground, some attackers went through his pockets and took a comb. Anderson and Delaunay escaped.

Emergency responders reportedly gave Broussard's case low transport priority, a delay attributed by an expert medical examiner to hesitancy around potential HIV exposure during the early AIDS crisis. A trip that should have taken about eight minutes to St. Joseph Medical Center took roughly 40 minutes, and it was a further hour before a doctor treated his wounds. Broussard died of internal injuries, with a medical examiner later citing "a delay in treatment" as a contributing factor.

Houston gay-rights leader Ray Hill said police initially told him they had no intention of solving the case. This prompted large public demonstrations organized in part by Queer Nation Houston, including protests outside Mayor Kathy Whitmire's home, described as the largest and longest-lasting gay-rights demonstrations in Houston's history at the time. Broussard's mother, Nancy Rodriguez, participated in the protests. The resulting media attention led to a tip from one attacker's girlfriend, and all ten youths — dubbed the "Woodlands Ten" — were arrested and signed confessions without attorneys present.

All ten were convicted through plea bargains without the case going to trial. One attacker received probation in exchange for testifying against the others; four others received probation, with some later imprisoned after violating probation terms. Jon Buice, who inflicted the stab wounds, received a 45-year sentence. Chance Paul Dillon received a 20-year sentence for attempted murder and aggravated attempted murder. Three other defendants each received 15 years and one day. Rodriguez and Queer Nation criticized the sentences as too lenient.

Dillon was released in March 2000 after six years, under a since-repealed mandatory release law. Buice, the last of the group still incarcerated, was denied parole multiple times between 2003 and 2014 before being granted parole and released to his father's custody on December 30, 2015, under strict supervision. In 1999, Buice wrote an open letter apologizing to the gay community, stating the attack stemmed more from thrill-seeking and peer pressure than homophobia. A 2006-initiated documentary, "The Guy With The Knife," examined the case, including an unusual friendship that developed between Hill and Buice, and Hill's later acknowledgment that he had exaggerated the attack's motive to spur police action. In January 2020, Buice was arrested in The Woodlands for driving while intoxicated.

Key facts

Victims
Paul Broussard
Date
1991
Location
Montrose neighborhood, Houston, Texas
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1991-07-04

    Paul Broussard is attacked by ten youths from The Woodlands in Houston's Montrose neighborhood and later dies of internal injuries following a delay in medical treatment.

  2. 1991-07-06

    Houston Chronicle publishes initial coverage of the attack under the headline 'Fatal bashing has city gays alarmed.'

  3. 1991-07-13

    Houston Chronicle reports that five Woodlands teens have been arrested and five more are being sought.

  4. 1992-07-04

    Houston Chronicle reports on gay community patrols formed in response to Broussard's death.

  5. 1994-01-11

    The tenth and final defendant, Chance Paul Dillon, is sentenced to 20 years, concluding the case's sentencing phase.

  6. 1999-04

    Jon Buice writes an open letter to the gay community apologizing for his role in Broussard's murder.

  7. 2000-03

    Chance Paul Dillon is released from prison after serving six years under a since-repealed mandatory release law.

  8. 2003-10

    Jon Buice is denied parole.

  9. 2005-10

    Jon Buice is denied parole.

  10. 2007-10

    Jon Buice is denied parole.

  11. 2011-07

    Jon Buice is granted parole, which is subsequently revoked for undisclosed reasons.

  12. 2014-10-21

    Jon Buice is again denied parole.

  13. 2015-11

    Jon Buice is granted parole.

  14. 2015-12-30

    Jon Buice is released from prison into his father's custody under strict supervision.

  15. 2020-01-20

    Jon Buice is arrested in The Woodlands for driving while intoxicated.

Best coverage

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People

  • Jeffrey Valentine

    CONVICTED

    Received probation for participation in the attack on Broussard.

  • Javier Aguirre

    CONVICTED

    One of ten defendants convicted via plea bargain for participation in the attack on Broussard.

  • Chance Paul Dillon

    CONVICTED

    Received a 20-year sentence for attempted murder and aggravated attempted murder; released March 2000.

  • Leandro Ramirez

    CONVICTED

    One of ten defendants convicted via plea bargain for participation in the attack on Broussard.

  • Jaime Aguirre

    CONVICTED

    One of ten defendants convicted via plea bargain for participation in the attack on Broussard.

  • Rafael Grable Gonzalez

    CONVICTED

    Received probation for participation in the attack on Broussard.

  • Brian Spake

    CONVICTED

    Received probation for participation in the attack on Broussard.

  • Gayland Randle

    CONVICTED

    Received probation; later imprisoned after violating probation terms.

  • Paul Broussard

    VICTIM

    27-year-old Houston-area banker and Texas A&M alumnus who died from injuries sustained in the July 4, 1991 attack.

  • Jon Buice

    CONVICTED

    Received a 45-year sentence for stabbing Broussard; released on parole December 30, 2015.

  • Derrick Attard

    CONVICTED

    Received probation in exchange for testifying against the other nine defendants; later imprisoned after violating probation terms.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Real.tex.mex — location anchor for the case

    archival location

    Real.tex.mex — location anchor for the case

    Credit: CC0 · Source

Places

Montrose neighborhood, Houston, Texas

29.7433, -95.3903

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Paul Broussard, a 27-year-old Houston banker, died after being beaten and stabbed by a group of ten youths from The Woodlands outside a Montrose nightclub in the early hours of July 4, 1991; delayed medical response and a lack of police urgency spurred major Houston gay-rights protests, and all ten attackers were ultimately convicted via plea bargains without trial.
Where did the murder happen?
Montrose neighborhood, Houston, Texas.
Who was convicted?
Jeffrey Valentine (Received probation for participation in the attack on Broussard.), Javier Aguirre (One of ten defendants convicted via plea bargain for participation in the attack on Broussard.), Chance Paul Dillon (Received a 20-year sentence for attempted murder and aggravated attempted murder; released March 2000.), Leandro Ramirez (One of ten defendants convicted via plea bargain for participation in the attack on Broussard.), Jaime Aguirre (One of ten defendants convicted via plea bargain for participation in the attack on Broussard.), Rafael Grable Gonzalez (Received probation for participation in the attack on Broussard.), Brian Spake (Received probation for participation in the attack on Broussard.), Gayland Randle (Received probation; later imprisoned after violating probation terms.), Jon Buice (Received a 45-year sentence for stabbing Broussard; released on parole December 30, 2015.), and Derrick Attard (Received probation in exchange for testifying against the other nine defendants; later imprisoned after violating probation terms.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
More cases in Texas

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Paul BroussardWikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — chron.comchron.com · 2026-07-05
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — outsmartmagazine.comoutsmartmagazine.com · 2026-07-05

Record history

First published
JUL 05, 2026
Last verified against sources
JUL 05, 2026