Accident – Death – Obituary News :
MANSFIELD, TEXAS: Fort Worth Man Receives Life Sentence for Fatally Shooting Pregnant Girlfriend
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
In a tragic incident that shook the community of Mansfield, Texas, a Fort Worth man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting his 26-year-old pregnant girlfriend in the back of her head on June 29, 2020.
Maurice Kelso Smith committed the heinous act just a few weeks after he and his girlfriend, Darionne Burley, joyfully celebrated a gender reveal party for their soon-to-be twin boys. Tragically, the unborn twins also lost their lives in the fatal shooting.
According to reports from US Sun, Smith fled the crime scene and carjacked a woman at gunpoint in Mansfield before being apprehended on the same day. He was charged with capital murder, aggravated robbery, and parole violation.
During the court proceedings, District Court Judge Robert P Brotherton mandated a life sentence for Maurice Kelso Smith following the jury’s determination of his guilt in the capital murder case involving Darionne Burley and the unborn twins.
The Tragic Events Unfold
The heartbreaking chain of events began on June 29, 2020, when the Mansfield Police Department responded to a distress call reporting a carjacking at gunpoint in the 1600 block of the North US Highway 287 frontage road.
Upon arrival at the scene, law enforcement officers discovered a Honda Civic that Smith had been driving before stealing another woman’s car. Inside the vehicle, they found Darionne Burley, who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the back of her head.
Further investigations revealed that Smith, a convicted felon, had a friend illegally purchase the gun used in the crime the day before the fatal shooting. Shockingly, Burley had contributed financially towards the purchase of the weapon that tragically ended her life.
During the trial, a family member testified that Smith had killed Burley shortly after the couple had hosted a joyous gender reveal party for their unborn twins. Following his arrest, Smith feigned intoxication and memory loss, leading to a hospital evaluation that dismissed his claims.
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