Madison man sentenced to life for assault

A Madison man was given a life sentence without parole in the October assault of his girlfriend, District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced on Friday.

“Tyler Culberson has proven to be a danger to women, and society as a whole,” Bramlett said. “He spent almost four years in prison for assaulting a woman in Rankin County. Less than a year after his release, he did it again.” 

Culberson, 31, was convicted on two counts of aggravated domestic violence after a two-day jury trial in Madison County Circuit Court.

Culberson is a violent habitual offender, which mandates a life sentence without parole for each offense, Bramlett said.

Circuit Judge Bradley Mills on Friday ordered Culberson to serve the two life sentences consecutive to one another. 

“I want to stress how important jury duty is to the effectiveness of the criminal justice system,” Bramlett said. “Without jurors, dangerous people like Tyler Culberson will never be stopped. The jurors in this case were attentive throughout the trial, and applied the law to the evidence that was presented to them by the State. They unanimously determined that Culberson was guilty and, because of that, he will never hurt a woman again.” 

The case stems from an incident reported on October 30, 2022, when the Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a car accident on N. Old Canton Road. When officers arrived, they found a car with severe damage to both sides, and a completely splintered power pole, Bramlett said. 

The female driver of the car and an eyewitness to the wreck indicated that her car had been forced off the road by another car.  

“Her car had gone airborne, striking a tree and then a light pole,” Bramlett said.

Upon further investigation, the female victim stated she had been trying to escape her boyfriend, whom she identified as Culberson. 

Culberson had assaulted her the night before at a home in Madison, she told the authorities.

The victim had bite marks on her face and arms, bruises on the back of her neck, a black eye, and a broken arm. She indicated that she had received all the injuries overnight from Culberson. 

The Madison Police Department put out a BOLO for Culberson’s vehicle. The next night, the Richland Police Department located the vehicle in their city. 

Culberson gave officers a fake name and ran from them when they tried to take him into custody. He was eventually located hiding behind a daycare in Richland. 

During the trial, the victim detailed the months of abuse by Culberson.  

The attending emergency room physician detailed the victim’s multiple injuries. He testified the victim’s arm was broken which is commonly viewed as a defensive wound which occurs when someone is shielding themselves from injury. 

Multiple officers testified, and the body cam footage from the Richland police chase was played for the jury.  

Finally, Bramlett said the state put on testimony from a former victim of Culberson’s abuse. He previously abused her in a nearly identical manner in 2016, including choking, biting, and beating her. Culberson was convicted of aggravated domestic violence for these events in Rankin County and released from prison only months before the events for which he was on trial. 

After a short deliberation, the jury found Culberson guilty on both counts of aggravated assault. Immediately following the verdict, the trial proceeded to a sentencing hearing, where he was given life due to being a violent habitual offender.