Springfield Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Breaking Girlfriend’s Jaw
- May 7
- 2 min read
Norton after September 27,2025 Arrest and Scene of Assault
SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Thomas David Norton, 33, of Springfield, was sentenced today to 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for domestic assault in the first degree, and to 7 years on each of two related counts of tampering with a witness and tampering with a victim, in Greene County Circuit Court. The 7-year sentences will run concurrently with the 30-year sentence. Judge Todd Myers imposed the sentence. A jury convicted Norton on all three counts following a two-day trial in March 2026.
On September 27, 2025, Springfield Police were dispatched to a domestic disturbance and found Norton just inside the home standing over his bloodied victim. The evidence at trial established that Norton had struck the victim in the face, fracturing her jaw and making it difficult for her to speak. While later incarcerated at the Greene County Jail, Norton made recorded phone calls discussing efforts to persuade the victim to drop the charges and sent two letters to the victim’s address disguised as correspondence to a fictitious person, asking the victim to “free me up at prelim” and pleading for mercy.
Norton is a persistent offender under Missouri law, with prior felony convictions for Assault in the Second Degree in 2022 and Resisting Arrest for a Felony in 2013. He was paroled from his prior assault sentence in December 2024 — only ten months before the September 2025 assault in this case. At today’s hearing, Assistant Prosecutor Katelynn Frazier argued for 30 years on the assault count and 7 consecutive years on each tampering count, while the defense asked for 15 years on the assault count and 7 concurrent years on the tampering counts. Greene County Circuit Judge Todd Myers imposed a 30-year sentence on the assault count and 7 years on each tampering count, run concurrently. Because of his persistent offender status, Norton is not eligible for parole on the witness and victim tampering counts. Norton must serve 85% of the 30-year sentence on the domestic assault before he is eligible to be considered for parole.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of what the defendant did — first to the victim, and then to the integrity of the justice system when he tried to silence her. Survivors of domestic violence deserve a justice system that protects them when they come forward, and our community is safer when repeat violent offenders are held fully accountable,” said Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson.
The case was investigated by the Springfield Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Katelynn Frazier and Kim Pulley.