Roy DeFriend, J.D. (1985)
District Attorney
Class of 1985 | Inducted 2023
Roy DeFriend graduated as Valedictorian of Groesbeck High School class of 1983 and
from Navarro College in 1985. While attending Navarro, he was a recipient of both
the Caston and Graduate Caston Scholarships. He was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and
served as a peer counselor/tutor. He went on to attend Baylor University and Baylor
Law School, where he was elected president of the student bar association. After serving
Limestone County as an assistant district attorney for ten years, Roy was elected
to his current position where he is currently in his sixth four-year term, providing
consistent leadership and prosecution in his capacity as County & District Attorney.
Named Prosecutor of the Year by the Central Texas Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk
Driving (MADD), Roy was also one of five finalists for the first Prosecutor of the
Year Award given by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers’ Association; he also
received the coveted Director’s Award from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the
highest honor a prosecutor can receive. Roy obtained one of the first convictions
for a hate crime in the State of Texas and has been named Citizen of the Year by the
Groesbeck Chamber of Commerce, where he is on the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims
and Children board, which provides services to citizens and law enforcement. Roy has
devoted his life to public service and serving others.