Man found guilty of beating his father-in-law

A Madison man faces 20 years in prison after he was convicted of aggravated assault for hitting his father-in-law in the head with a baseball bat, Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said.

The man, John Garran Saxton, 33, was convicted on Oct. 26, according to Bramlett.  He will be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years to serve, Bramlett said. 

“I am so thankful for both the Sheriff’s Department for investigating the case and the jurors of Madison County who showed up for jury duty,” Bramlett said.  

The conviction stems from an incident reported on August 24, 2021, when the Madison County Sheriff’s Department was called to a home in the Ashbrooke subdivision regarding a domestic incident. 

Upon arrival they found a 62-year-old man lying on the ground with a severe head wound. 

Saxton, the victim’s son-in-law, had first slapped his mother-in-law and then pulled a gun on the victim and attacked him with a bat, the authorities said.

“This situation quickly spun out of control for the victim and his wife due to the aggressive and violent nature of the defendant,” Bramlett said. “Violence within the family is an unfortunate issue we see too often in our office.” 

Pafford EMS transported the man to the hospital where he had skull fractures and suffered permanent hearing loss in both ears, officials said. 

The assault on the female victim was a misdemeanor handled through Madison County Justice Court. The father-in-law’s injuries and the use of the bat elevated those charges to a felony offense, Bramlett said.