A 48-year-old Houston man was sentenced to 35 years in prison Thursday for repeatedly stalking and harassing a woman with whom he had a prior relationship, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced.

“Stalking is yet another form of domestic violence, and we will do everything possible to keep victims safe when they are facing this sort of danger,” Ogg said. “We sought justice in this case, and hopefully the victim can move forward with her life now.”

Derek W. Brown was convicted after a two-day bench trial in March of stalking a woman he had a relationship with in the past. On Wednesday, the trial continued with witnesses testifying in the punishment phase before state District Judge Mark Kent Ellis handed down a verdict of 35 years in prison.

Brown had repeatedly harassed and threatened the woman and her family for more than a decade. She filed multiple protective orders and criminal charges of stalking against him for his actions starting in 2011. He was convicted in the first stalking case in 2014 and sentenced to five years in prison.

Just days after his release in 2019, Brown started stalking the woman again.

Assistant District Attorney Erica Robinson Winsor, who is assigned to the DA’s mental health division, said experts testified that the victim’s life was in danger as long as Brown was on the street.

“This victim sought protection every way she could, first by filing the original criminal charge and through multiple protective orders, and none of that was enough to keep her safe,” Winsor said. “By going through this trial and obtaining this conviction, we are able to keep her and her family safe for many years to come.”